My Friend My Mate My Lover
by dimka's froggie
Summary: something new between Chris and Rose... everything's a bit different from the original series... read to find out what! R&R please... M rated just in case...
1. 1 Prologue

**hey guys... this is my first fanfic so I'd love to get some nice reviews... even if you don't like it... I want to be as good as I can, therefore I need your opinions... **  
**AND**  
**I'm from Germany so I'm sorry for misspellings, wrong punctuation and all that stuff... now enjoy^^**

** disclaimer... I own nothing but the plot... the awesome richelle mead does own everything...**

PROLOGUE

Let me tell you about my life so far... My name is Rosemarie Hathaway and I'm seventeen years old. I'm a student at St. Vladimir's Academy for Moroi and Dhampirs. My mom sent me there when I was only four years old. Her duty as a Guardian was more important then her own flesh and blood. But seeing the positive, I live. Good enough for me.

In kindergarten I met Vasilisa Dragomir,when our teacher forced us to write our names. In response I chucked my book at her. Since then Lissa and I were best friends.

Three years ago we were involved in a terrible car accident that killed Lissa's parents and her brother Andre. I threw myself in front of Lissa, not knowing that she sat in the only safe spot. I got away with a broken arm and some scratches. The Dragomir's last wish was for me to become Lissa's Guardian once we've graduated.

But then six months later we ran away from the Academy. I had a feeling that Lissa was in danger, so I did what every Guardian does – I did my best to protect her. We got away for two years until a party of Guardians catched us in Portland. It was really bad luck, but I'm actually quite happy to be back.

I'll never forget the moment when I saw that giant standing in the shadows across the street and watching us. First I hated him for being good enough to catch us , but then he defended me when Headmistress Kirova wanted to expel me due to my bad behavior. So he became my mentor. HE is Dimitri Belikov by the way, a big badass Russian god how Mason Ashford, one of my old Dhampir friends, called him. He is 6'7 tall, has shoulder length brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and is one hell of a Guardian. My hatred for him soon became a friendship and now, half a year later, he is like my big brother (which by the way I never had).

Whereas I met old friends like Mason Ashford and Eddie Castile, Lissa met a social outcast – Christian Ozera. He's frowned upon since his parents willingly turned Strigoi. I hated him, but since he helped me and the Guardians to rescue Lissa from Victor Dashkov, we have some sort of love-hate-relationship, with constant bickering and getting on each others nerves much to Lissa's dislike.

Victor and his Guardians kidnapped Lissa, cause she was next in line for ruling our society. After her Victor was in line for the throne, so he wanted to kill her to be the next king. I saw how his Guardians got her after the dance and took her away from the school grounds. As fast as possible I ran to Dimitri to get help, but as soon as he opened his door and I saw him I felt an unknown rage against him and started fighting him. When he accidentally ripped off my necklace, a present from Victor, I instantly stopped fighting and fought against blacking out. We discovered that this son of a bitch put an attack charm on the necklace before giving it to me. I told Dimitri what happened to Lissa. End of all – we saved her and Victor went to prison after his trial three months ago.

Two weeks after Victor's trial Dimitri and I went to meet Arthur Schoenberg, a popular Guardian, for some special test. We found him and the family he was protecting dead in their house. Two more weeks and several attacks later we went to a Ski Lodge to spend our Christmas holidays. That was when my friends Mason, Eddie and Mia went on a hunt to Spokane. Lissa's boyfriend Christian and I walked after them and after we found them we got kidnapped by some humans who worked with Strigoi. We all lived, except my best guy friend Mason. We had something, but I never told him, that we can't be together. He died in the believe, that we could try an honest relationship.

That also was the night of my first Strigoi killings, two to be exact. I shocked everyone. Doesn't happen everyday that an underage Novice kills two Strigoi with a sword and actually lives through it with not much more then minor injuries. Dimitri was so proud of me that night with all the mentors stuff, and he was there for me, whenever I needed someone to talk to, he held me when I cried for Mason and he was the one who brought me back to my old self. He kept training me and became my best friend. Even better then Lissa. Sometimes I feel like she has only time for

Christian, but Dimitri is there for me. There were some rumors, that we had a relationship... like being lovers... but that's just ridiculous. I mean, okay, he's hot, really hot, but he's my mentor and seven frickin years older than me. I'm glad to call him my friend and to have someone like him in my life. But I could never feel more for him like the love I would have for a brother.

After I killed those Strigoi, Lissa started to train with her magic. She's a fire user and wants to use offensive magic, like it was Tasha Ozera's idea, Christian's Aunt. Christian, too, uses fire, that's how we escaped in Spokane. But Adrian, a friend we met at the Ski Lodge, always says to me that Christian is more than he seems. Whatever the hell that means. Adrian came with us back to the school, to practice his spirit magic, the newly found old element, but he also once said, that he wanted to see how it goes with Christian. And, of course, he hits on me at every possibility he gets.

So now here we are, back at school, back at the asylum, how I like to call it, in the middle of our field experience. I got Christian as my Moroi, although Lissa is the one who I will guard after graduation, two months from now.

And yesterday the school got attacked from a bunch of Strigoi. And that was the day I died.

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	2. Chapter 1

**thx for my reviewers^^ let me tell you... you guys made my day and i'm more than happy to give you the next part of my story^^**

**enjoy it :)**

~ chapter 1 ~

CPOV

I was fighting the Strigoi together with Rose. Let me tell you, we were bad ass. I lost count and just focused on the killings, well on setting them on fire. Rose did the actual killings. Even when we always were on each others throats, I was so proud of her. Since I am with Lissa, Rose became something like a sister to me, which is not easy to achieve. She and Lissa were the first who I became friends with, since they came back here. After my parents willingly turned Strigoi no one wanted to spend time with me, but then the girls returned. Yeah Rose not really liked me, but I could talk to Lissa. She's a great girl. I love her and I am glad, that Rose finally was OK with us. Rose is like her sister. It would have been a bitch of a relationship, if Rose wouldn't approve. I think it actually never would have turned into a relationship in the first place. And now here we are, keeping each other and our school safe.

And that's when I saw the Strigoi behind her. I was to much concentrated on the two Strigoi I already had set on fire.

"Rose, watch out!" I called to her. But the Strigoi already lunged for her. Rose turned around only to be met by a fist, that connected with her face and lead to a sickening crack in her jaw. She stumbled a bit, tired of all the fighting, and that was all the Strigoi needed. He took Rose by her wrists and turned her hands and her stake around and quickly stabbed her. I saw how the stake went into her stomach, without any problem, like she was made of butter or something. She fell to the ground and her head turned around, so she was able to see me.

"Run Christian, please... run," she said barely audible. And then the light left her eyes. What the hell shall I tell Lissa? She will die, if I tell her, that her best friend just got killed by her own stake. I somehow found the energy to turn my two Strigoi into ash and saw the one that killed Rose advancing on me. I crumbled to the floor, unable to do anything else. I felt the tears in my eyes, when I took one more look at Rose's dead body.

"I'm sorry, Rose." I said when I felt the Strigoi grabbing me by my neck.

"Ah, what do we have here," he whispered close to my ear. Then he gasped and I fell to the ground once more. I turned around to see Dimitri standing over me, with his stake in his hand and his eyes on Rose. He lost his usual Guardian Mask and looked like he was about to cry.

"What happened to her?"

I pointed to the Strigoi at his feet. "He stabbed her with her stake and she told me to run, but I wasn't fast enough."

He fell to the floor, just like I did just a few seconds before, and I saw tears glisten on his cheeks. "She... but she..." he whispered. It was obvious that he just lost his best friend, sister even and didn't know what to say.

I walked over to her dead body, not even realizing that all the fighting around us had stopped. Some of the other guardians where standing around us, looking down at Rose, emotions like sadness, anger and even shock on their faces, none of them in guardian mode any longer, how Rose has called it.

I sat down beside her and pulled her upper body on my lap. I gently pulled the stake out of her stomach, releasing some more blood to flow over her white shirt. The sweet smell of it filled my nostrils and I was glad that I had fed just a few hours ago. I looked down into her lifeless eyes.

"But, she can't be dead. That isn't possible," I heard someone whisper, I think Stan Alto but I wasn't sure. The only thing I had to concentrate on was Rose. Someone had to stay with her. I couldn't leave my 'sister' alone when she just got killed. Lissa in turn would kill me, if I would leave her only family alone.

I remembered all the encounters we had, totally ignoring all the guardians around us. I softly kissed her forehead and cradled her to my chest, to get closer to her ear. I nearly sobbed like a baby, when I felt that death really took her.

"Rose, what is it with you and danger? You can't just leave us alone. We all need you. If you just could see the school's guardians right now. You wouldn't believe it. They are shocked by your death, even Stan looks sad. And Dimitri looks like he's dying himself. He cries because of you, you can't just let that happen to our favorite bad ass Russian. Even I am crying over you," I whispered feeling the tears on my cheeks. "Please, Rose, don't leave us. Even if I sometimes just want to kill you in some funny or some cruel ways... You're my sister and one of the few people I can talk to. You're a part of what is left of what I call my family. Please Rose, don't die on us."

And then I felt an odd feeling cursing through my body, something warm and cold. It went on for some moments and then I heard the wonderful sound of Rose gasping as she buried her head in the crook of my neck.

RPOV

I gasped and felt a numb pain in my stomach. What the hell just happened? I turned around and buried my face in someone's neck, having no clue, who was holding me and more important _why_ he was holding me. Then I heard Christian's voice.

"Oh thank God, Rose. You're alive. I thought... we all thought you were dead."

I pulled away to look him in the eyes. When I saw the concern in them, I turned around to see who he meant by 'we'. There were guardians standing all around us, staring at me in disbelief.

"What the hell are you looking at," I snapped at them. Some cleared their throats and started to walk away. Others like Alberta came over to me. She hugged me briefly and looked me in the eyes, dead serious.

"Rose, honey. I have no idea, what just happened, but we will have to talk about this. Now go to your dorm and rest. You need it."

She turned around and walked away, the remaining guardians in tow, except for one. My favorite Russian came over to me and embraced me in a bone crushing hug. "Don't ever do that again, Roza. Don't you ever die again." I just nodded as good as I could.

Then I registered his words. I died? What? How is that even possible? I am alive, I am crushed by Dimitri's strength and have no idea what the heck he is talking about.

"What are you even talking about, Comrade?" He sat me down and looked at me like I grew a second head.

"I think we should talk about that tomorrow Roza. Now you just need to rest. Christian will bring you to your room, I'll go and check on the others. I'm glad you live, Rose." Then he turned around to Christian. "Whatever you did, Christian, however you did it. You saved my best friend. And I thank you for that."

Christian just nodded his head and came over to me. He stood close by my side, as if he wanted to catch me if I fell. "Thanks Chris," I whispered when I swayed a bit from a sudden wave of pain. He brought me back to my room and led me to my bed. I laid down and felt how tired I actually was. Christian turned to leave but I grabbed his shirt tightly.

"Chris, please. I have no idea, what happened out there. All I know is, I have tons of blood on my favorite, now ripped, shirt and Dimitri just told me that I died. Please stay here. I don't want to be alone." I whispered the last sentence, hating to admit my weakness, especially to Pyro. He looked at me, again eyes filled with concern. He finally lay down beside me and embraced me in his arms. It wasn't in any way romantic, just like a brother would hug his sister. And I was glad that I had him. Especially now. I lay my head on his chest and thought for a moment.

"Tell me what happened," I said in a small voice.

"Rose, I don't think that's..." I cut him off.

"Please, Chris. I just want to know, why everyone thought I was dead, when I'm obviously alive. And why the heck is my shirt ripped and bloody without me having any injury at all?"

He cleared his throat a few times, like he wanted to speak, but didn't know how to say it.

"Just spit it, Christian," I said, becoming slightly impatient. What did you expect? I'm still me.

"Okay. Ahm... We were fighting together. And I just thought how bad ass we were, when I saw that son of a bitch advancing on you. I called out for you, you turned around and his fist connected with your jaw. Let me tell you, the crack it gave wasn't actually pretty. By the way. How's your jaw doing?"

I touched it hesitantly but couldn't feel anything. "Huh, whatever you've heard, but my jaw is absolutely fine. Probably it was just the Strigoi's hand."

"But I saw you stumble Rose, you never stumble. And I saw the pain on your face. I'm sure it was not his hand. Anyway, after you stumbled he grabbed your wrists and twisted your hands and... well, he drove the stake into your stomach." He swallowed hard before speaking again. "You fell to the ground and turned, to look at me. You told me to run, but... Rose I'm sorry, I was to slow. He got to me and grabbed me by the neck. But Dimitri came and killed him. That's when I saw that you just lay there. Dimitri crumbled to the floor and cried. He actually cried over you. That's like the eighth wonder of the world. I never saw the Russian cry. So I walked over to you and sat down. I pulled you onto my lap and held you close. I removed the stake from your stomach and actually thought about... well, never mind. I held you close and when I cradled you to my chest I realised, that you were dead. There was no life in your eyes. Your body was limp. There was nothing but the shell of your body. I saw all the Guardians around us and Stan said something between the lines 'She can't be dead... impossible' or whatever. I didn't really listen. You were the only thing that mattered in that moment. And how Lissa would kill me, if I just left you alone out there. So I stayed and thought about our encounters. We actually had a pretty good time over the last months, don't you think? Anyway... I told you how nobody could believe that you were dead, and that you couldn't just let the Russian cry. And some more stuff. Then, I don't know. I had a strange feeling. It was something hot and cold cursing through my body and then you gasped. You know the rest."

We were quiet for some minutes until something came to my mind.

"Thank you Christian."

"No problem, Rose. You wouldn't have left me if we would've been in each others place."

"I don't mean for not leaving. I mean thank you for healing me." I raised my head to look him in the eyes and watch his reaction.

"What are you talking about Rose. I haven't healed you. How could it even be possible? I don't have such powers. I can only wield fire, and that's not as easy as you let it seem." I smirked at him, before going back to serious business.

"I'm serious Chris. Remember what I told you. What Adrian said to me back at the Ski Lodge?"

"You mean without flirting with you like you were a goddess sent to earth?"

"Yeah. Besides that... and... hey. Not my fault, that I'm hot." I grinned at him and he laughed.

"No Rose, I actually don't remember, what he told you."

"One day he said, that you are not, what you seem. Maybe he meant your magic. Maybe fire isn't your element. Maybe it's just part of what you can do with your magic."

He looked at me in utter shock. "What do you try to say Rose?"

"I think, maybe you are like Adrian. Maybe spirit is your element."

"But... I'm nothing like him. I don't drink all day, I don't smoke every five minutes..."

"Hm. But maybe spirit doesn't affect you that much, because you train how to use your fire in a... quite funny way," I said, remembering the one time, when he set Ralf and Jesse on fire.

He thought for a moment. "Even if I hate to admit it, but you could be right. But... IF I healed you with spirit, what does that mean to us? I mean, what consequences does that mean to us, you know?"

"I get your problem. I think we'll have to do some research on it. But first thing in the morning, we'll visit Adrian and ask him, what your aura shows him. Maybe we'll be wiser after that." With that we stopped talking and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

**thx for reading... let's go with five more reviews for the next chapter, shall we?**


	3. Chapter 2

**hey guys^^ thx again for my awesome reviewers... even if I'd really like to get some more reviews... even if you don't like the story or whatever... i really want to give my best with this, so i need you :)**

**so what time is it over there in the usa? here it is ten minutes to midnight, so i'm nearly off to bed (you're probably just back from school or whatever) but i wanted to give you this chappy to keep you happy^^... tell me in your reviews which time you read it and how many hours you're ahead or behind the german time, coz honestly? i really don't get it with all your times :p**

**nuff talk for now... hope you enjoy this part^^**

* * *

Just to be clear... _»that stuff is what Rose hears through the bond or what Chris says« _other cursive stuff are normal thoughts.

* * *

~ chapter 2 ~

CPOV

I listened to the heartbeat in Rose's chest as she fell asleep in my arms and thought about, what she just told me. Maybe I healed her. I mean she was definitely dead, but after I touched her and held her in my arms she suddenly started breathing again. She was dead for too long to come back on her own. But it's crazy to think, that I'm a spirit user. It would be really cool, but I only ever used fire, how can I have spirit? She's right, we absolutely have to ask the alcoholic in the morning, even when I can think of better things to do after waking up. Especially when I have a woman like... Rose... in my arms. What the...? I didn't just think that, did I?_ She's like your sister dude, don't even think about her that way. Besides you have Lissa and you're happy with her. _Great. Now I'm talking to myself. First sign for being a spirit user, I think.

And then something came to my mind. The one Sunday morning in the church when the father talked about Vladimir and his shadow-kissed Anna. Thinking about it, it could be that I read something about them one day in the attic, before the girls came back. But when my memories are right, this is so not good. Let's just hope, that Rose's assumption was wrong, and she came back on herself.

I can't even make myself believe, that I'm NOT a spirit-freak like Adrian. At least Adrian and I had the possibility to train together. _Okay big boy, stop planning something you're not even sure of. Especially when these plans involve the biggest jerk on the planet. Hell, in the whole universe even._

_

* * *

_

The next morning I woke up to a movement in my arms. Tightening my grip I realized, that I still was in Rose's bed and held her close. Loosening my grip on her I slowly opened my eyes, only to be met by her chocolate brown one's.

"Morning Pyro," she whispered and grinned.

"Ah. We're back to stupid nicknames. Well then Buffy. Good Morning to you, too," I replied smirking. In return she smacked my arm and stood up to walk to her dresser. Getting out some clothes she spoke again.

"You should get back to your dorm and change. I can meet you at Adrian's."

"No way. I'm not leaving you alone with the alcoholic." _Whoa! Where did that come from?_

She snickered. "You're way to protective of me Pyro. I think I can handle Ivashkov myself."

"Still. I'm not leaving you alone, after what happened yesterday." She turned around to look at me and finally sighed.

"Okay, stay here. I'll just change, then we can walk over to your dorm and then to Adrian. And we should grab something to eat. I'm starving."

I smirked again. "Aren't you always Buffy? Since I know you, there never was a day you weren't starving. To be honest. It's a wonder, that you don't look like a house."

She glared at me. "You're lucky that I'm thankful for what you did for me, or I would kick your ass so hard, you wouldn't be able to sit for the next weeks."

"So when you want to kick my ass, I just remember you of what I've done and you'll let me live? Hard to believe Buffy, but I appreciate it."

"Don't be to sure of yourself Pyro. That will be for like... a week. Not one second longer. Then I'll start kicking your ass again and don't think I'll hold back," she called through the closed bathroom door. _»__You can kick my ass whenever you want.__«_ Oh shut it. Damn, what's wrong with me?

"What did you just say?" she called again.

"Uhm. Nothing. Just thinking, no talking. Why?"

"Hm. I thought I heard something."

She came back out and eyed me up and down. "You know I'll even kick your ass without your permission? Whenever I want, just like you said."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"You said that right? That I can kick your ass whenever I want." I couldn't identify the look she gave me. It was something between the lines of "don't look like I grew another head or two".

My jaw must have dropped because she smirked at me and said "Shut it Pyro or you'll catch flies. What's the matter with you? Have I something in my face or what?"

"No. Not at all. It's just... I actually never said that. I just uh... thought it." _»__What the hell, can she read my mind now or what?__«_

"I'm not reading your mind," she snapped before shutting her mouth with her hand. Her eyes widened when she looked at me again.

"Chris what's wrong with me?" Good question actually. I walked over to her.

"Nothing. Everything will be fine," I whispered, hugging her tight after seeing some tears roll down her cheeks. That was so not good. Rose doesn't cry. Rose is the hard one in our group, she isn't the one for tears.

"Come on Buffy," I said after a few minutes. "We should get going, when we want to see the alcoholic in a hopefully quite sober state." She nodded against my shoulder and let go of me. She turned towards her door and off we walked.

RPOV

I followed Christian to his dorm eying all the damage on the school for the first time. It was shocking to see all the burned walls and even the burned and staked Strigoi bodies were somewhat shocking. After about twenty burned Strigoi I stopped counting. I tipped on Pyro's shoulder. He turned around and eyed me questioningly.

"You do realize, that we killed more than twenty of those right?" He actually looked as surprised as I felt. Then a wave of excitement rolled over me. But that was definitely not coming from me.

"Whoa Pyro. Turn it down please. It's not that great. That were still lives that we've taken." Then I realized what I had just said. "I did it again, didn't I?" He just nodded and took a step towards me.

"Look, Rose. We'll figure that out. I promise. Whatever that is, we figure it out and work on it. You're not alone in this."

"Not alone in what?" I heard an all too familiar Russian voice say behind me. I turned around and saw Dimitri walking towards us.  
"Nothing Comrade. Everything is good. Nobody is alone in nothing." Smooth Rose, real smooth. Babbling when you tell a Russian that everything's good. Totally works. NOT.  
He eyed me for a moment and started speaking. "Don't lie to me Rose. You know I can tell, when you are lying. What is it? You can talk to me and you know that." Isn't it great to have a best friend, who treat's you like his little sister? In that case, yes. It absolutely is. I stepped closer to him and hugged him. He stiffened a bit but hugged me back then.

"I'll tell you in training okay. First we have to figure something out. But... tell me... How did it went last night? How many died? Except for me." He flinched at my last words and eyed me sadly. "Three Moroi teachers and two guardians died. Gladly they took none of us. Seems like we killed them all. Training is canceled for the next week. You have to see a counselor and then we can go back to training."

"A counselor? Really? Are you kidding me? I'm not crazy you know. It's not like I'm seeing ghosts or whatever." I gave him my don't-mess-with-me-glare.

"Rose. You'll go to these meetings, or I won't train you again," he said in a stern voice. Then his eyes softened and he spoke in a small voice only for me to hear "I'm glad you didn't die Rose. I just want you to be safe. You're family for me and I can't lose you. You're like my little sister back in Russia. So please understand that I worry about you." I hugged him tighter for a moment before pulling away. "Thanks Comrade. That means a lot. But, training or not. I'll see you later and tell you what's going on." With that I turned around and walked away with Christian.

* * *

When Christian stepped out of his bathroom he was clothed in a nice dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt, which both complimented his wonderful blue eyes. _Whoa Rose... what the hell are you thinking? This is Pyro... no men to be interested in. _He watched me with a smirk on his face, which I so wanted to punch away with my right hook. _See... this is the me I know. Great. Speaking to myself now. Someone call the men with the nice white jackets. _

"See something you like Hathaway?"

"Watch it Pyro. That's my line and I'm not sharing. Especially not with you."

A nice grin spread over his face as he walked to the door and we made our way over to Adrian's. As we walked out of the Moroi's dorm Christian gave me a sideways glance and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it right after, looking like a fish catching breath.

"Come on fire crotch, spit it. You know my patience doesn't exactly exist. Especially with you around," I smirked at him and watched the amusement dance across his eyes.

"I know B. Now what I was going to say... You remember that one morning in church when father Andrew (**A/N I don't really remember the name of the Academy's father... tell me if it's wrong and I'll change it**) talked about Vladimir and his shadow-kissed Anna?"

I looked at him with obvious confusion on my face. He chuckled a bit. "Yeah right, why am I even asking. You and listening in one sentence doesn't really work." I smacked his arm as hard as I could, but he showed no sign of being affected by it. Either he is training more then I thought or he is just a completely numb idiot.

"I can listen when I want Pyro. It's just... church is so early... and on Sunday... come on, who does really want to listen so early in the morning," I said in a whiny voice.

"Well, obviously I am one of the people who want to listen so early in the morning. Although I must admit that this one time was the only time I really listened," he admitted with a sheepish smile on his lips. "Anyways. He said something about being shadow-kissed and so on, like I said before. I believe I even read something about these two. But when I'm right, and I sure as hell hope I'm not right about this, then this what happened with you and me yesterday is so not good."

Now he was beginning to frighten me. And Rose bad ass Hathaway is not frightened of anything. I live with vampires and kill the bad ones, for god's sake!

"What Chris? Please just say it. You're sort of freaking me out here." He must have seen something in my eyes, because he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. He laid his hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes. I think, I've nearly never seen him this serious before.  
"It's going to be okay Rose, whatever this is, we work it out. When I'm right, then we are somehow bonded. I don't know the details, but we'll find out. Gosh, I sound like a broken record." _»__I swear, we can and will work this out. Remember? We're bad ass as hell. When we can't work it out, then nobody can.__«_ A wave of sincerity washed over me and the urge to make me smile again.

"You know... when you want me to smile again, then you should just say some stupid stuff to make me want to punch you. But the bad ass comment will work just as good," I said with a half-smile on my lips. And then I realized what I just said. My smile vanished and my eyes widened. "Sorry, Chris. I... I didn't mean to. Really."

Surprising me, he just smiled and shook his head slowly. "No big deal B. It's weird, but it's okay. Could have been worse."

"Oh Chris. Don't let me think about something worse. That wouldn't be good for my mood right now." We both chuckled lightly, before starting to walk again. "So... where did you read that stuff about Vlad and his what-so-ever Anna?"

"Shadow-kissed, Rose. God, is it that hard to remember? I found some books in the church's attic."

I eyed him suspiciously. "What?" He asked somehow exasperated.

"You really have time to read, with all the bonding time you and Lissa have up there?" I was unable to do anything else than laugh at his expression and the blush that crept over his cheeks.

"What... how do you... huh?"

"Oh Pyro, you should see yourself," I said still trying to compose myself – keyword _trying_. "I have my sources Pyro. Now, shut your mouth. Flies are getting attracted by the sight." I put a finger to his chin and closed his mouth, cause he seemed at a loss. I took my hand away, not without feeling an electric jolt shoot through my hand. And it seemed like he felt it too, since he shook his head like trying to shake away a trance.

After that we arrived at guest housing, Adrian opened the door, looking like we pulled him out of hundreds of years of sleeping. Seriously, how can one person sleep that much? Okay, I think the same of his drinking behavior, but come on. Adrian is an impossible person.

Scratching the back of his head his still sleepy eyes were trained on me.

"Little Dhampir? What are you doing here? Especially with Ozera in tow? I have absolutely no problem in sharing my bed with you, but he has to take the couch." Here we go. Not even awake for one minute and Adrian Ivashkov is already hitting on me. This promises to be a good day. Note the sarcasm please. Waving him off with a very unladylike gesture I stepped into his room, pulling Christian with me.

Flopping down on his couch I watched him, as he walked to his bar and filled a glass with a clear fluid. Knowing Adrian it was pure Russian Vodka. Judging by the smell of it, I was right. I let out a chuckle, when I saw and felt Christian's disgust to the sight in front of us.

"So what do the two of you want from me this early in the morning?" Letting out another chuckle I answered.

"Well, Ivashkov. Brace yourself, what we have to tell you is nothing for pussies."

"Please... I'm not a pussy. You know me Little Dhampir and someday you will give in to my charm."

"Sure, before that happens I'll die and... " I cut myself off. Now Christian was the one to laugh at my expression. I gave him a glare and he immediately stopped laughing.

"What is it? Have I missed a joke or something?" Adrian piped in.

"No Adrian. It's the absolute opposite actually, and we need your opinion as a spirit user." He nodded at me as a sign to continue.

"See, yesterday... during the attack... Christian and I fought side by side. He burned the Strigoi and I did the rest. But then there was one who got to me. Christian was already occupied with two of them and I didn't see him coming. So he was able to catch my wrists and turn my hands around. He staked me with my own stake. And now come's the thing Adrian." I took a deep breath while he watched me, waiting for me to continue, although it seemed like he already knew what happened to me. "Yesterday during the attack I died through my own stake."

"Little D, this isn't possible as I see you sitting here on my couch in all your living beauty." I saw the worry in his eyes, that I maybe was somehow on the road to Crazytown. Understandable, looking at the fact, that I sit here, in all my living beauty as he says, without the slightest injury.

"Look Adrian. I know this is hard to believe. But you told me Christian is not what he seems. He's like you right? He's a spirit user, too." A smile spread across his face as he nodded enthusiastically. Christian groaned beside me and let himself fall back into the back support of the couch.

"Great. I'll become an alcoholic just like Ivashkov over there. That's just great. What have I done wrong, that this is happening to me?" I looked at him from the side and felt utterly sorry for him. I could feel his desperation wash over me, like all the other emotions I got from him since I woke up.

I leaned over and gave him a small hug.

"Hey, Chris. Remember what you told me earlier? You're not alone in this. You have me and all our friends. And remember the bond stuff? That must be some help." I heard Adrian gasp behind me.

"Great that you are such big friends after yesterday. But you can't have a bond. That's not possible. Unless you..."

"What Ivashkov? Unless I what?"  
"Unless you healed her from the dead." That was my cue to speak.

"I told you I died during the attack, Adrian. And Chris here healed me. We don't know how. I think it was his spirit, but we're not sure. And we don't even have any idea what's going on with us now. So can you help us understand all that?"

He looked lightly taken aback and I smirked at his dumbfounded look. "Yeah, sure I'll help you. Anything for you Rose." Man, he's serious. No other reason to call me by my name. Thinking about it... he actually nearly never called me by my name, no matter how serious the situation. I must have stared at him because he chuckled and shook his head at me.

"Don't be so surprised Little Dhampir. You know what I would do for you. Anything to win you for me." Here we go. Back to flirting and idiotic nicknames. Out loud I just nodded. Kind of ironic, huh?

So we spend the rest of the day talking about Christian as spirit user and the bond that we had now. Like I understood it, now I can feel his emotions and stuff and as we know I can read his thoughts through it. And obviously he can heal. Watch me, I'm one of the walking dead now, he must be a bad ass healer. But Adrian can't heal like Chris. Chris again isn't able to see aura's. We don't know about the dream walking, yet, but we'll find out. Adrian again can't wield another element then spirit, whereas Chris has fire, like we all know. This was going to be confusing like the Neverending Story. **(AN. Yes, I was totally confused the first time I read it and watched the movies. I'm one of the few idiots who were too stupid to get it, but I was just 8 :).)**

Before dinner we left Adrian's room and walked over to the commons. We were sure, that Pyro and I had at least to tell our friends about what happened. We also agreed that Alberta and Kirova should know. The others can be left without the knowledge.

I left Chris and Adrian to talk to the others, while I walked to the Guardian's dorms to find Dimitri and tell him about my... situation for a lack of better description.

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**let's go with five more reviews at least okay? if something goes too fast for you tell me and i'll try to make it better next time^^**

**since i forgot the disclaimer last time... here it goes...**

**i don't own anything, just like i didn't own anything but the plot  
in the prologue and first chapter. and it won't change for the following chapters... sadly... :(**


	4. Chapter 3

**thx for your awesome reviews... you guys are the best... made my day again^^ **  
**now be good readers and enjoy that part^^**

_**(though i'm really sorry when Christians POV in this is totally crappy... **_  
_**i wrote that part in about ten minutes cause **_  
_**i totally forgot about the others reactions)**_

~chapter 3~

CPOV

After getting our food Adrian and I walked over to the table, where all of our friends were already seated. Liss looked up from her tray and into my eyes, giving me one of her most beautiful smiles. _Not as beautiful as a certain Dhampir girl I know._ Stupid inner voice! I took my seat next to my girl and lazily draped one arm around her waist. I was deep in my thoughts about you-know-who **(AN are you as excited as i am about the new potter movie?)** when Lissa turned to me and started to talk.

"A penny for your thoughts sweetie." First of all, don't call me sweetie. Second... okay there is no second point. But what should I tell her? Nothing cutie, I'm just thinking about your best friend and how her waist feels much nicer under my touch. Can't really do that right?

"Nothing important Liss. Just thinking about recent events." Oh, coming straight to the point without even thinking of it. Well, better tell them now then later.

"Which events? What happened?" Lissa's voice sounded worried. Stupid best friend thing – always worried. Although Lissa brings the word worry to a whole new level. No kidding.

"Don't worry Liss. It's alright. Everything's okay now." Her eyes widened in shock. _Oops._

"What do you mean now everything is okay? Tell me what's going on! Is it about Rose? Has something happened to her?" See? Overreacting because of three words. _Girls._

"Shh Liss. Listen. Calm down and I'll tell you. But what I tell you is not exactly... nice... but Rose is alive now." God! Bringing bad news to someone is not easy.

"Cut it Chris. Tell me what's going on! Just come to the point." When that's what she wants... who am I to keep her best friends death from her?

"Rose died in the attack, I healed her and now she is bonded to me, because I'm a spirit user like Ivashkov over here and she can feel what I feel and read my thoughts and other stuff we'll need to research." Unbelievable that that came out of my mouth without even inhaling once. Must be a new record for speaking without breathing. Inhaling deeply I registered the shocked expressions of my friends.

"What? She... she died? But... why didn't anyone tell me? She's my best friend and soon to be guardian. They should have told me! And what the hell do you mean 'you healed her cause you're a spirit user'? You element is fire, everyone knows that!"

"Trust me Liss, I couldn't believe it too. But Rose was dead, like no life in her eyes, no pulse and everything. She. Was. Dead." Maybe that will bring the message home. Or I might just buy some neon lights to highlight these words. "I healed her. An ability of Spirit is to heal people. So I did with Rose, but that created that weird bond between us. As I said before she can feel, what I feel and read my thoughts."

While I was still watching a shocked Lissa, Eddie spoke up.

"Man, you're so screwed. Hathaway already hates you. But with getting your emotions and reading your thoughts? She'll kill you without a warning." Certainly Eddie was taking it easy and with humor. One down, two to go.

"So, you say... Rose knows what you're feeling? Everything, no exceptions?" Mia looked at me waiting for my response. I simply nodded at her, keeping my eyes on Lissa. "Whoa, that's gross. I mean, when you and Lissa... that's disgusting." I couldn't help but smile over Mia's reaction. Actually I haven't thought about that point.

Slowly Lissa's look cleared and she stared at me. "You healed Rose?" Not knowing what it was what she wanted to hear I carefully nodded. That's when she tackled me off the bench and onto the ground, showering my face with kisses.

"You. Saved. My. Best. Friend. You. Saved. My. Family." Every word accentuated by a kiss until she finally kissed my lips. Totally lost in our own little world I just heard Adrian mumble something about keeping it a secret and Eddie and Mia agreeing to it in a small voice.

RPOV

Knocking on Dimitri's door for what seemed like an eternity I became impatient, when suddenly the door burst open revealing a cursing and very angry Russian in just his pyjama bottoms. Whoa, I certainly wasn't expecting that. I was just staring at his bare chest, when Dimitri placed his warm calloused hands on my shoulders and shook me lightly.

"Come on Rose. Look at me. What's going on?" The worry in his voice broke me out from my little trance. Wouldn't he be like my big brother – which by the way I never had – I sure as hell would drool at the sight in front of me. Heck I wasn't even sure if I wasn't drooling right now. Shaking my head to clear my mind again, I finally looked up in his eyes.

"Sorry, got a bit distracted down here, Comrade. Mind putting on a shirt or something," I said flashing him one of my famous man-eater-smiles. In return he smiled sheepishly and let me in.

"Sure. Make yourself comfortable. You want something to drink?"  
"Uhm... you know. I really could use one of those special hot chocolates of yours. Like the one you gave me on Christmas after I took the little swim in the pond at Tasha's cabin."

He laughed at the memory and I couldn't even be angry at him.

~ flashback ~

It was really stupid of me to believe that one day, one fucking day, nothing would go wrong for me. Yeah right. It was Christmas and Tasha visited her nephew Christian at St. Vlad's. Lissa, Pyro and Tasha were ice-skating on the pond, down at her cabin. Later Dimitri and I joined them, 'cause he gave me one of his super famous Zen Life Lessons. So the Giant and I were ice-skating, too until the luck of Rosemarie Hathaway stroke and she broke through the ice. Everybody was laughing their asses off, including me after Tasha brought me back to a normal body heat.

~ end of flashback ~

After some silent minutes he returned to me with a cup of hot chocolate, still smiling. When he sat down his smile faded and he watched me carefully.

"Tell me Rose, it must be serious when you need a special chocolate. It's about yesterday, right." I nodded slightly, crossing my legs before looking at him again.

"You know what happened yesterday out there," I said pointing out the window. In response he just nodded and waited for me to continue. "You also know that Ivashkov is a spirit user. So... after the Strigoi staked me I died. Like really gone, never coming back. Anyways, Christian managed to heal me. All of us always thought he is a fire user, but he is like Adrian. He wields Spirit and has some special gifts. So he brought me back from... you know... the other side." I saw him flinch, when I talked about it in a way that seemed pretty carefree. Fortunately he knew me better than anyone else and saw that it really hurt for me to talk about it. "So, here I am and now I have some special... equipment added to my awesomeness." He raised one eyebrow at me, still not saying anything. Taking a deep breath, like earlier at Adrian's, I continued. "Since Chris brought me back from the dead, I'm now bonded to him. Means I feel what he feels, sometimes read his thoughts when his emotions are strong enough and... yeah... We don't know more, yet. But we'll have to do some research." Looking up at him I saw the confusion in his eyes.

"You mean... you have some sort of connection? One like Vladimir and Anna?" I nodded my head and watched him carefully. I mean it's not really easy to hear, that you best friend died, came back from the dead and now is somehow connected to a boy, who she sometimes really wants to kill.

"Uhm... okay... Then I'll help you figure that out. It's the least I can do for you."

We went silent for a few more moments, when suddenly I wasn't in his room any longer. _»__I was in the church's attic, with Lissa. Oh great. That can't be good, that IS so not good. I know what they're doing up there and I absolutely don't want to be a part or a witness from that. Concluding from that I must be in Pyro's head, a place I never wanted to be. I saw his hands tracing an imagined line from her hips up to her breasts. Get out, get out, get out. You don't want to sleep with Lissa so get out. His hands undid the buttons from her blouse and slid it off her shoulders. Get out for Christ's __sake. That's when I heard Dimitri's voice in a distance._«Concentrating on it, the picture of Lissa's half-naked body faded and I was back in Dimitri's room.

"Whoa, that was... irgh."

"What's going on, Rose? You just stared at the wall, without even blinking. You got me nearly freaking out over here," he half joked. After blinking some more I finally answered.

"I was with Christian. Let me say, what he does in the church's attic is not meant for my eyes or anybody elses for that matter. And even less for children's eyes. I'll never be gay, that's for sure." I must have made a funny face, cause Dimitri chuckled at my side before breaking into laughter, when I looked at him.

"I assume, he was with Lissa then. Good to know, that you stay straight, then we can find you a proper boyfriend." _What the...?_

"Don't you dare couple me with one of your friends," I said somewhat exasperated. He just chuckled again. "Could you please stop to making fun of my situation? I don't want to feel and see how he sleeps with my best friend. That's disgusting."

We sat together for a little while longer talking about any stupid stuff that came to our minds. When he escorted me back to my room, 'cause it was already past curfew, he told me that the molnija ceremony would take place tomorrow.

"But I can't get twenty and more molnijas! My neck would look like abused after that. And think of all the time that they would just use for my neck. That would need hours." He chuckled a bit.

"Oh Rose. Think. You know our marks. You won't get normal molnijas. You'd get a battle star, meaning you fought in a battle and everybody lost count on your kills."

"Ooh, right. Maybe I should really listen better to my teachers."

"Who are you telling that? I tell you to listen better nearly every day and still you don't listen."

I laughed at that, when we finally arrived at my room.

"Hey Comrade. You think they would give Pyro a tattoo, too" I asked turning around to him once more. He looked at me a bit dumbfounded, but then smiled.

"I guess so, but we would've to talk to the Headmistress and Alberta first. They would have to give the permission for that. Tell you what. Before lunch tomorrow we'll go to Kirova and Alberta and ask them. Bring Christian. The ceremony starts an hour after lunch so take care, that he isn't in the attic again." With a smirk on his lips he left and I went to bed, only to wake up after some horrible nightmares.

CPOV

After telling the others what happened to Rose and me the other night, Lissa and I went to our attic and spent a wonderful evening. Then I went to see Rose, since she never came back from talking to Belikov, but found just an empty room. Figuring she must still be with the Russian, I went back to my own room and to bed.

My peaceful slumber was suddenly interrupted by a blood curling scream coming from the novice's dorms. And I had a very bad feeling who that scream belonged to, so I put on some sweatpants and a hoodie and made my way to Rose's room. At the bottom of the stairs I was met by Dimitri, who looked like he wanted to smash something or even punch someone. Looks like someone is getting Rose's attitude.

"You can't be here, Christian. It's way past curfew and just one hour til the sun is up. You should be in your room. Sleeping," he said in a stern voice. Waving him off I walked around him and upstairs.

"I know Belikov. But I think Rose told you what happened, so for God's sake, let me check on her. Bad enough, that she now has to deal with my emotions and what not, she has her own problems and nightmares to live with. I just want to be there for her. Besides, I think it would look much better, when I'm found in her room and not you." He let out a heavy sigh, realizing that I was right.

"Okay. You can stay here, if you need to. But make sure, that no one sees you, when you leave. Maybe you should ask her after her battle star, maybe that will calm her down a bit." I nodded at him and slowly opened her door, not knowing what I would find.

**thx again for reading... now review and make me a happy author^^... **

**tell you something... the next chapter is already done... so give me 5 rev's as fast as possible and i'll update even faster :) (though i would love to know your opinions *hint hint*)**

**and i still only own the plot... but it's an _awesome_ plot (YES i needed that right now^^)**


	5. Chapter 4

**i know i haven't reached the 20 reviews i wanted but i think it's unfair to wait for 2 more reviews for nearly a week, when there are enough other people who actually like my story and wait for the next chappy... but i thank all those who actually reviewed or put my story on alert or even to their favs...**  


* * *

  
**special thanks goes to **

_**unnz4 **_

**for reviewing every single chapter...you always bring a smile to my lips :)  
for adding the story to your favs  
for putting it on alert and  
adding me to your favorite authors  
****keep up the reviews please...i'd continue my story even if it would be just for you :):)**

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~ chapter 4 ~

CPOV

Closing the door behind me, I took a step closer to Rose. She sat on her bed, legs pulled to her chest and arms wrapped around them. Her head rested on her arms and it looked like she held on for dear life.

"Rose?" I whispered.

Her head shot up and she stared at me. Confusion crossed her beautiful face. Understandable, seeing that I stood in her room in the middle of the night. Behavior of a stalker comes to mind.

"Chris? What are you doing here? You should be in your room. The sun will be up soon." Here she is, worrying about a Moroi, when she is the one crying.

"Uhm... I heard you screaming across campus and figured you might need someone."

With that she got up from her bed and flung herself into my arms. Embracing her, I patiently waited for the sobs to stop. I led her back to her bed and we sat down. She leaned into me, still being shaken by her sobs. After some minutes she took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes.

"Thanks Chris. I really could need someone. Even if I didn't expect you, rather Dimitri or Lissa."  
"I met Belikov on my way up here. He tried to sent me back to my room, but I told him it would be better if someone finds me in here than him. So he let me stay. Although I now have to stay til morning." Thinking about it... Lissa might not really like that.

"No problem Pyro. Thanks again. You didn't need to come here."

"It's the least I can do. After all you're the one who has to fight with my emotions and I, of all people, know that they're not easy to handle. But, you wanna talk about what happened?"

Suddenly she began to cry again. I never thought, that Rose Hathaway could cry that much in just two days. One never stops learning.

"God, Chris. It was so cruel. I saw it all happen again. I even felt it. I felt how the Strigoi staked me, and I felt my fear for you, that he might get you and that I might haven't protected you right. I was so scared."

I let her cry on my hoodie, not caring that it was soaking wet by now.  
"Shh, it's okay Rose. He's not here, Dimitri killed him. There's nothing you have to fear. I'm here for you. Always remember that. We're all here for you."

Wiping her tears away, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and a small smile. _If she would just do that again. Stop it! You're with Lissa. Don't think about that._

"You know... the next time you want to sleep with my best friend make sure I'm really occupied for the time being." She smirked when my eyes widened and I stared at her.

"What?" was all that came out of my mouth.

"I somehow got pulled into your head, when you and Lissa were in the attic. It was pretty... unsightly to see my best friend half naked."

"How... how much have you... you know..." I stuttered out.

"Oh don't shit yourself Pyro. I was gone when she lost her blouse. But I felt what you were feeling, and I certainly never want to feel something like this for my best friend EVER again."

I chuckled and apologized. She snuggled closer to me, when we lay back on her bed, both tired from the revelations of the day. _»__If we could sleep like this more often. Would you stop it! God. Think of Lissa. Lissa is your girl and the woman you love.__« _Then I fell in a deep sleep and didn't wake til the next morning.

RPOV

_»__If we just could sleep like this more often. Would you stop it! God. Think of Lissa. Lissa is your girl and the woman you love.__«_Great. Funny thoughts from Pyro. I have to admit, it's actually really nice to sleep with him next to me, but he's right. He is with Lissa and they are happy, I can feel it. Although he's sweet and looks really good, like stop walking on a railroad and get hit by a train good. _Wait. What am I thinking. This is Pyro we're talking about. _He was right in one more point. This bond thing is so not good for the both of us.

* * *

Two warm arms held me tight, when I woke the next morning. Trying to find my orientation I turned around and was met by two shiny blue eyes. Right, Chris came over after my nightmare. It just had to be Pyro, who witnessed my breakdown. Just fair, seeing that half of my emotions belong to him. I realized that I just stared at him and shook my head lightly.

"Morning Pyro. Had a good sleep?"

"Yeah, was okay. We should go grab some breakfast, you look like you're starving."

I chuckled lightly. "Whatever," I said taking a closer look at him. He was paler than normal and he had dark circles under his eyes. "Hey Pyro, when was the last time you were at the feeders?" He was thinking, he seriously had to think about that.

"Before the attack I think," he admitted sheepishly. That let me kinda explode.

"WHAT? Man you can't do that. You can't starve yourself to death. You used huge amounts of energy that night, you need to feed."  
"Jeez, it's okay B. No big deal."

"No big deal? What the hell Chris. You know as well as I do that you have to go to the feeders regularly."

"I know. But-" I cut him off.

"No buts. You took care of me, now I'll take care of you. Your hunger is exhausting me. Come on, I bring you to your room, you change into something more... decent, so that I can let myself be seen with you. And then we'll go to the feeders." He just nodded his head in agreement and stood from the bed and smirked.

"Maybe you should change first, or _I_ won't let myself being seen with _you_." I looked down at myself and felt my eyes widen. I was wearing some really short shorts and a tight fitting tank top. I should think about more clothing for bed. Way to impress your best friend's boyfriend. Why is it, that it's always him, who sees me in situations in which nobody should see me? That can't be normal.

In true Rose Hathaway manner – acting like he didn't say anything – I got up from my bed and walked to my wardrobe. Taking out some black skinny jeans and a purple tank top I walked to my bathroom and locked the door behind me. Brushing my hair I heard his thoughts again. _»__Man, what's wrong with me? I know she looks hot, but she is way too hot for her own good. Oh come on, stop it or she hears it._«

"Too late for that big boy," I whispered to myself.

Tying my hair into a messy high pony tail, to show off my molnijas, I walked out of my bathroom and over to the door.

"So, look I hot or what?" I asked in a teasing voice. As answer he just nodded and followed me out the door. Never seen Pyro speechless. Guess there's always a first time for everything. After some minutes it seemed like he found his voice.

"Hey Dimitri said I should ask you about your battle star. Tell me about it. What's up with that?"

"I'll get a new tattoo today. Since we killed so many in that battle, we all get a battle star, some special molnija mark, showing that everybody lost count over their kills. And I wanted to ask you something about that."

"And what would that be," he asked in a suspicious voice.

"I wanted to know, since you were part of the battle and fought damn well out there, if you want to have your own mark. We would have to ask Kirova and Alberta first, but Dimitri said we could go to them before lunch. The ceremony starts an hour after lunch. So what do you think?"

He thought for a moment. I already saw his answer in his thoughts. And his excitement couldn't exactly be ignored.

"When they would give permission for that, sure why not. That would make me – an Ozera and wannabe Strigoi – the first Moroi with a guardian mark. Pretty awesome to piss off the other Moroi."

I laughed at that, thinking of Queen Bitch herself. She probably would turn a very dark shade of red and would be close to spontaneous combustion. Chris looked at me like I was crazy, which I probably really was, counting that I got that look the second time in just twenty four hours.

"Just think about the reaction from Queen Bitch herself," I choked out between fits of laughter. Realizing what I just said, he burst out laughing himself.

We were still trying to compose ourselves, when we saw Lissa and Adrian walking over to us. They looked at us full of curiosity about what was so funny, that the two of us lay on the ground in a fit of laughter, probably with tears streaming down our faces.

"Hey, what got you two so happy," Lissa's soft voice asked. She probably thought, that we were on some drugs, 'cause under normal circumstances we would never laugh around each other. Not in that way.

Finally getting back to ourselves we just shook our head and started walking again. I held Lissa back when we came to Pyro's dorm. I saw the jealousy on her face, about Chris and me having fun, but not saying what it was about.

"Listen Liss, it was nothing okay. We just thought about something, but Chris wants it to be a surprise for you. There is nothing going on between us. Besides, shouldn't you be happy, that we finally get along?"

She chuckled a bit. "Yeah sorry bout that. It's just... he never laughs like that around me, that was something that hurt me. But I know there is nothing going on between you. You probably would kill him before it comes to that. Although with that weird bond stuff, it probably would kill you in the process."

"Oh that's no problem. I think, when I try hard enough, I can block his emotions. I could do it, when you were together yesterday." And you guessed it, being me, I registered to late, what I just said.

"You what? Yesterday? But yesterday we were in the -"

"- church's attic. Yeah I know. That's a bond-thing. He somehow sucked me into his head and it wasn't exactly nice to feel what he felt towards you. Sorry Liss, but I'm just not that into you."

She laughed again her beautiful laugh. Christian turned around to look, what was going on with us. _»__What's up with these two?__«_He thought to himself.

"It's nothing Pyro. No need to worry."  
"Oh you should know me Hathaway, I don't worry about you. Never did, never will." _»__Sadly_._«_ Ah, afterthoughts. Can reveal so much and make a situation so much more awkward. _»__Ah shit, judging by her look she heard.__«_

"Shit indeed," I whispered when I walked past him. I heard him sigh and walk again. "Hey Liss, Adrian could you wait down here? We have something to talk about."

"Yeah, sure. We wait, but hurry up, we're hungry." Worry was in Lissa's voice again.

"No need to worry, sis. It's about your surprise." She just nodded and sat down on a bench close to the dorm's door.

Up in his room, Chris closed the door and we sat in an awkward silence for a moment.

"Listen Rose, what I thought down there. That means nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm with Liss, you know that better than anyone else. These weird thoughts must have something to do with the bond between us, nothing more. So let's not talk about it and just ignore it. It was a one time thing and won't happen again."

I just nodded, not telling him, that it wasn't the first time I heard his thoughts about me. And not telling or showing him how hurt I was by his words. Great, I'm starting to fall for my best friends boyfriend. Maybe I should take Adrian up on his flirts and start to date him. Could save me some pains.

Leaving his dorm again, this time in some decent clothing, we walked to the commons and straight to the feeders room. While Pyro and Lissa were feeding, I stood in the row next to Adrian, waiting for his name to be called. I turned to look at him.

"What's up Little Dhampir," he asked, looking at me waiting for an answer.

"Uhm, I was thinking. About you and me," I said with a man-eater-smile. He actually looked surprised.

"And what exactly where you thinking about?"  
"About you taking me out on a date coming Saturday?" That seemed to surprise him even more.

"Sure. I would like that. Since I'm the guy and you already asked for that date, I'll come up with something. I'll tell you on Friday, when I'll come to pick you up," he said with a smile spreading across his face.

"Eager much, Ivashkov?"

"What were you expecting? I'm waiting for that moment since I met you at the Ski Lodge." He grinned again, when his name got called.

"Hey what is Ivashkov grinning about like an idiot," Pyro asked, coming back to stand next to me.  
"I just offered to go out with him. Coming Saturday. So when you don't need my duties as your bond whatever, I'll enjoy it." Suddenly a wave of hurt and jealousy crushed over me. I stumbled a bit at the felt impact of his emotions. Pyro grabbed me by the arms to steady me.

"Hey, you okay," he asked, his voice laced with worry.

"Yeah, all good," I said shrugging his hands off me. Then I leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear. "Maybe you should consider if _you_ are okay. I wasn't the one who got all jealous at my statement."

With that I turned around, quickly grabbed some donuts and left the commons. I realized I was harsher then intended, but to handle emotions of someone else isn't quite easy. I went to the gym to get some of my anger out. Stuffing the last doughnut into my mouth I went over to the punching bag and let loose all that I felt.

Anger towards myself, that I got killed by a stupid Strigoi.

Anger that I hurt the people who were important to me,

Anger that I was falling for my best friends man.

Jealousy towards my freaking best friend, that she had everything that I wanted.

And last but not least, even more anger that I'm going to hurt one of my best friends, by giving him false hope.

Somewhere through my punches I started crying. Crying about my stupidity and the hopelessness of what many would call my life.

When I finally fell to the ground from exhaustion, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me, pulling me towards a stone hard chest.

"It's going to be okay, Rose," a voice with a familiar Russian accent said. I shook my head at him.

"Nothing is going to be okay, Dimitri. My life is totally fucked up."

"And why would that be," he asked looking at me before guiding me to the benches. Sitting down he looked me in the eyes again and waited for me to spill.

"It's just fucked up. You don't need to know the reasons."

"Rose, tell me. I want to help you, but I can't when you won't let me." God, why was he always right? Damn Russians with their stupid understanding behavior.

"It's just... everything. I mean, first I'm too stupid to defend myself against a fucking Strigoi. You trained me so well and I failed you. I must be the biggest disappointment there has ever been."

"No you're not. You killed at least twenty of them before ONE got to you. You're better then some guardians twice your age. I'm proud that you are my student. But I don't want to change the subject. What else is wrong about your life?" I took a deep breath, knowing he wouldn't stop asking questions until I told him every last bit of my feelings. Maybe I should have the bond with him and not with Chris. Could be easier.

"I'm angry with myself that I hurt you. I heard Chris when he talked to me. He said you were crying over me. I mean, who the hell get's a bad ass Russian god to cry his eyes out. Only me. And I heard that he cried too. I mean, come on, Christian hates me, he shouldn't cry over me."

"He doesn't hate you and you know that."  
"Yeah, I know that he doesn't hate me. He starts to develop feelings for me, and I don't mean the sort of feelings for a sister, like you have for me. I mean the 'she's hot and I really like her' feelings. But he always thinks of Lissa, he knows that they are together and that he loves her. I feel that through the bond, but -"

He cut me off "But you're jealous right. 'Cause you have feelings for him yourself." Damn Russian, why is it, that he can read me like a book?

"Yeah," I admitted in a quiet voice. "I start falling for my best friend's, my sister's, man. I mean, how stupid can one person be? That's the next thing. I'm so stupid to be jealous of the best friend in this damn world, because she can have everything. She can have the man she wants, she can have children with him, she can have a life without any worries. I can't have the man I want, cause he belongs to another one, I can't have children with him, because he is with her and they are happy, and the only thing I can do is worry. Worry about the safety of my Moroi, worry about the safety of my friends and family and worry about my own sanity, because I get the feelings of a freaking eighteen year old boy."

He started laughing at that and I punched him in the arm.

"Don't you laugh at me. You were an eighteen year old boy yourself, remember how you were at the age of eighteen. Now imagine a girl has those feelings," I said still glaring at him. He immediately stopped laughing. "Ooh..." was all he said.

"Yeah oh. Anyways, there's more."  
"How can there possibly more?" He sounded exasperated at that.  
"There can, believe me. I feel a massive anger against myself for hurting one of my best friends on purpose, by agreeing to date him. I'm one of the worst friends, there can ever be."

He shook his head again. "So you're going out with who? Ivashkov? Sure, Eddie is to much into training. You're going on a date with Ivashkov to get away from Ozera."

I nodded. "I know, I'm terrible. I shouldn't do that to Adrian. I shouldn't do that to anyone for that matter."  
"Right, you shouldn't. But you know, that you can't have Ozera, so you take the next best possibility. That's only human. And you don't know, maybe things work out with Ivashkov, although I can't say that you're choice makes me glad. You know what they say about him and I don't want you to be hurt."

"I know Comrade. But I can't take you on a date, now can I?" I said jokingly, while slightly shoving his shoulder.  
"No, not really. That would look really weird to the other guardians and a bit to suspicious for Ozera. He would know, that it isn't real. He would know that you like someone who you can't have. He would totally kill your last nerve. But you could have chosen one of your fellow novice friends." Stupid light bulbs that never work, when I think for myself.

"I could have, but as you know Mason is gone and as you said Eddie is far too much into training to date anyone. AND he is totally into Mia. Ivashkov will work just fine."

He shook his head with a small smile. "There are so many boys around who want a date with you. You just don't want to see them."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, I don't want to see them. See, I already talked to Adrian and he agreed on that date. We'll see how it works out, if it works out."

_»Rose, where are you? It's time for lunch and we wanted to go to Kirova. Call me.« _

"Oh. Chris wants us to meet up with him. It's time to meet Kirova and Alberta."  
Dimitri took one look at the clock above the gym door and stood up. Pulling me up he started walking. Shortly after we were at Kirova's door and knocked, waiting to be called in.

* * *

**so i was thinking... you want a lemon in that story? or maybe even more than one? then there's a poll on my site and depending on how many of you actually want a/some lemon(s) in my story... i want to make a contest for those who want to write a lemon for me and my story... i want to make you guys a part of my story... i give you a week to tell me what you want...**

**if you want a lemon AND want to write one for the contest then you can vote and just send it via PM even before the voting is over... i would love to read what you guys come up with :):)**


	6. Chapter 5

**so here's the next part... hope you like it... let me know... even if you hate it... **

~ chapter 5 ~

RPOV

Right now we're sitting in Kirova's office waiting for Alberta to arrive.

_»__Look Rose, I'm sorry for earlier. I don't know, what came over me.__«_

"Oh I have some idea moron," I muttered. Dimitri looked at me, like I grew another head and Christian looked like I just punched him straight in the face. Kirova actually looked a bit lost. Right, we haven't told her about the bond yet. "Don't look at me like that," I snapped at no one in particular.

_»__We have to talk about that.__«_He sighed internally.

"No we don't," I said. "You made yourself more than clear, so there's nothing to talk about."

_»But -«_

"No buts Pyro. You were very clear and I understood you perfectly. Nothing more. Saturday I'll go out with Adrian and you can completely concentrate on you and Lissa. Anyhow, it doesn't concern me."  
»_It concerns you as much as me. But whatever you want. I won't talk about it again. There. Happy?__«_

"Yes, very," I stated, just as Alberta opened the door and watched us like we had broken some rules.

"What have the two of you done now," she asked with amusement in her eyes.

"NOTHING," we both called and got up from our chairs in a rushed motion, that must have looked faster than a Strigoi. Dimitri, Kirova and Alberta actually chuckled at us. Sitting back on our chairs, we waited for someone to speak to us.

"So Miss Hathaway, Lord Ozera, what do you want," Kirova asked in a friendly tone. What has gotten into her? She was never friendly towards either of us. »_What the hell is going on with her?__«_ He asked through the bond. I smirked and shrugged my shoulders as answer for him.

"We are here, because I wanted something to ask for Christian. Since today the molnija ceremony will be held and he helped me kill all those evil bitches -"

"Roza, language," Dimitri cut me off with a hint of humor in his voice.  
"Yeah, whatever. So he helped me to kill them, without fear. And I think it would only be fair, if he gets his own battle star." I somehow rushed that out without breathing and still holding my breath, til Kirova answered.

"Well it's unheard of, but if Mr. Ozera would like to, I would say nothing against it. He showed that he deserves to get a mark. He risked his life for others, so he should be treated like that."

Alberta nodded in agreement, smiling at Chris and me when I released my breath.

_»Okay, that was -«_

"- easier than expected, I know." I cut off his thoughts. He nodded in quiet astonishment. Alberta's smile faded and she stared at me.  
"Rose, can you tell me what's up with the two of you. You're behaving kind of weird." Looking at her now, she seemed kind of freaked out.

"Uhm, yeah. That's another thing we need to tell you." From there Chris took over, knowing that it was still kind of hard for me to talk about what happened, especially after my nightmare last night.

"You were there the other day Alberta. You saw what happened to Rose, and that she later just stood up like nothing happened. Well that was kind of my, fault is the wrong word, seeing that I brought her back from the dead, doing has to make it." I flinched at that. Hearing about me dying isn't what I want to do before going to lunch. "Well, that action kind of tied us together, we're bonded through some psychic link or so." When I heard Kirova gasping I looked up, to see her shocked expression.

"But that can't be Mister Ozera. The last persons we know of, who had a bond were Vladimir himself and his guardian Anna. How are you so sure, that the two of you have such a bond?"

Now I was the one talking, since I'm the one who actually experiences the effects of the bond.

"We are so sure, because I feel what Chris feels. I obviously can read his thoughts, although yesterday it were just brackets, when he had really strong emotions. And he sucked me into his head, when he kissed Lissa. I could feel all his love towards her. You can call me insane, but I don't feel that much love for my best friend. But I think, what I just said, the part with reading his thoughts, easy to show you. You just witnessed it, when I finished his thought out loud. And you Headmistress, you saw how I answered him, without him saying any word."

She nodded slightly.  
"Well. That's enough to believe it I think. We'll keep it quiet. But I have to tell the queen. She has to know about that. You should keep it as quiet as possible, at least until graduation in two months."

We nodded against our will. Now Queen Bitch will have even more ammunition, when she goes on with her personal war against me. "Great, just great," I muttered to myself.

We said our goodbyes and left her office. Christian and I went to lunch after agreeing with Dimitri, that we'll meet up again later. I filled my tray with everything I could find, while Chris just took an apple and walked beside me. _»__How you aren't fat is beyond me.__«_ He smirked as I got his thought.  
"Yeah you said that yesterday, remember?"

Suddenly somebody stood in our way. Looking up I saw Jesse and Ralf. Great. Could it get any worse?

"Hey Hathaway. Becoming a blood whore to the Strigoi wannabe now?" _What the...?_ My anger flared up, when I saw the stupid smirk on Jesse's face. I was clenching my fist, when Chris sent me some calming feelings.

"Please let me punch him, Chris. Please."  
»_No. You'll destroy your future. You heard Kirova, we're graduating soon. Let me do this. I have an idea.__«_

Seeing, what he had in mind, it was my turn to smirk at Jesse. A glint of surprise and fear flashed through his eyes. I nearly burst out laughing, when suddenly his head was on fire and the next moment some food leftovers landed straight in his face. When I looked over to our normal table I saw Mia, who came back for the time til graduation, with an evil glint in her eyes. That did the job. The next second I lay on the floor laughing while Jesse exploded with rage and ran out the door. Ralf stood some seconds longer, before following him like a lost puppy.

"Come on Pyro, we have to eat. Don't want you blacking out, when you get your first tattoo," I said getting up and giving him a small smile.

_»Thanks Rose.«_

"Not accepted," I said smirking.

_»Why not?«_

"You have to say it out loud." I paused a moment. "In front of the others. Why is it, that you're just nice when you send me your thoughts. Simply not fair. I want the others as witnesses."

"What shall we witness for you, Rose," asked Mia.

"That," I said pointing at Chris and earning me some questioning looks.

"ThankyouRose," he said letting out his breath.

"Sorry, didn't get that. Could you say that again please?" Always fun to tease the fire crotch.

"Thank you Rose," he said more slowly this time. Some gasps around the table satisfied me completely. Lissa looked surprise.

"What was that about? Why do you thank her? Thinking about it, since when do you say something nice to Rose. No offense sis."

"None taken. But he can't tell you, it's about his surprise for you."

_»What surprise do you mean Rose? I have nothing planned. You're not going to drive me into some deep shit, are you?«_

I shook my head slightly. I lifted my hand to my neck and scratched my tattoos, so that only he could see that I pointed at them.

_»Ah, that surprise. Good to know, that I wanted to surprise her with that.«_

I stuck my tongue out at him and smiled. "I'm great, I know Pyro, now stop staring." He chuckled and shook his head at me. I sat down next to Adrian and leaned into his shoulder.

"Hey Ivashkov. Already planned something for Saturday?" He choked on his drink.

"No, actually not. But you asked me just..." he took a look at his watch "...four hours ago. I can't cause a miracle you know." I chuckled lightly and noted the looks from the others on me.

"What's up guys? Have I something in my face?"

"No on your shoulder, Rose. What's going on with you and Ivashkov? I thought you wanted to kill him?" Eddie started laughing, probably remembering how I cursed about Adrian and how he always gets on my nerves.

"We're going out on Saturday. I thought I could give it a shot. I just have to date someone, I haven't done that in a while."

Lissa squealed and jumped up from her place coming over to me and embracing me in a bone-crushing hug. Who would've thought that a 'small' girl like my Lissa could do that to a Dhampir with my training.

"Lissa... can't... breathe... here..." Not easy to form a proper sentence when your air is cut off.

"Oh sorry. Didn't mean to. That's great. Then we can do a double-date."

My heart stopped at that. I gulped heavy. Chris must have seen my uneasiness about the subject and came to my help.

"We'll see okay Liss? Let them do their first date, and then we'll see about another date, maybe we all together. But not now."

She nodded, looking a bit tired. Wonder what that is about. Shaking my head, to clear my mind I started digging into my food. I inhaled everything in under ten minutes, shocking even Eddie.

"What?" I asked looking at them. "What is it now?"

"Have you something to do today, that you're in such a rush?"

"Yeah, I have. And you too Eddie. We have to go to our ceremony. For our tattoos."

His eyes widened. "Shit. I totally forgot about that. Well guys see you then. I have to look for decent clothes."

Since the ceremony was just for guardians none of our Moroi friends were able to attend to it, except for Christian, since he gets his own tattoo. Thinking about it...

"Hey Chris, could you bring me to my room please. I have to talk to you about something." Third time in just six hours I got a somewhat jealous look from Lissa. God. She should know by now, that I don't want to be with Christian. Where does that jealousy come from so suddenly?

"Liss, it's nothing, promise. Today you'll get your surprise than I won't talk to him again, happy," I snapped at her. I didn't mean to, it just came out harsher than intended. She looked a bit taken aback, but nodded at me. Christian took me by the arm and led me out of the commons up to my room. When behind closed doors, Christian turned to me and started yelling.

"What the hell was that, Rose? Why did you snap at Lissa? She didn't do anything to you!" I flinched taken aback at his harshness.

"I know Chris. I know. What I don't know is, why I snapped at her. I was suddenly so angry about everything. I don't know where that came from. She's just suddenly so jealous about the two of us, and it's just... not fair. I'm sorry, okay?"

He just stared at me for what seemed like forever and suddenly his lips crashed to mine. _Wow. How soft his lips are._ I couldn't do anything but to kiss him back. Soon I found my back pressed against the wall, his hands on my hips. With a big effort I pulled back and rested my forehead against his.

"Chris, what are we doing here," I asked breathing heavily. He looked me in the eyes, trying hard to catch his breath.

_»I don't know, Rose. It was a spur of the moment thing. I think.« _

"We have to figure us out Chris. I'm going out with Adrian and you're with Lissa. We can't do that to them."

_»What did I just think about spur of the moment?«_

"That wasn't spur of the moment. For spur of the moment you actually have to have feelings for someone. The thought from earlier wasn't the first thing I got clear. There was something about being hot – thanks for that by the way – and last night you wished, that we could sleep like that more often. Don't do that to me. It would be easier, when I would just see you and Liss, but don't do that to me. I can't know that you have feelings for me, when you are with my best friend. You're too important for her," I rambled out, realizing too late, what I just said. I might have given away a tiny bit to much without actually saying it.  
_»__What was that for you Rose?__«_I just looked at him, not saying anything. _»__Tell me Rose, I need to know.__«_

"The best kiss I've ever got," I whispered so quiet it was a miracle, that he even heard me. Damn Moroi senses.

_»__Really?__«_ I nodded as good as I could, with his forehead still against mine. _»__Then we'll work this out okay? Maybe it was nothing and we just need some time apart, to get a clear head in this. You go on your date with Adrian, I do my thing with Lissa. We'll see what this is for the both of us.__«_ Again I just nodded. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before releasing me. I gave him a questioning look while he just shrugged. "One for the way..."

Changing into a cute black dress that let my neck free, we thought about what he should wear and agreed on black trousers and a light blue button down shirt. Together we walked back to the commons, making our way over the elementary campus, that Lissa couldn't see us.

Arriving just five minutes before it started, Dimitri showed us our places next to Eddie and we sat down.

"Hey Chris. What are you doing here? I thought it was just for guardians and novices."

"You'll see Eddie. Just wait and listen," was all I could say to him before Kirova started the ceremony, calling us to order – which wasn't that hard – and then holding a speech. I totally zoned out til she called the names of the novices and guardians who would get a tattoo. I didn't even hear what she said about Christian, but it must have been pretty good, seeing that he was watched with suspicion from the others in the room. Sure they now wouldn't wait for him to turn Strigoi.

"Dimitri Belikov," Alberta called out. Dimitri walked up the stairs from the stage while unbuttoning his black shirt. Mason was right, when Lissa and I returned and I started training with Dimitri. He truly is a god. He smiled at me for a moment, before putting his guardian mask back on and staring straight ahead.

"Edison Castile," I heard Alberta's voice shortly after. Eddie went up to the stage with a glint of fear in his eyes. I'm sure I looked the same, when I got my first tattoo. I felt a bit sorry for him, but a little tattoo-training before the ceremony for our promise mark never hurt anybody. Although since Spokane he became harder, he sometimes is still my Eddie. The one who flirted with me and made stupid jokes about anything. The one who was all for the job and even more for his friends. But I also remembered my first two kills, how they'd gotten to me and what I had to went through. The same feeling, that made me the soon-to-be-guardian I am today and that destroyed my old self, has gotten to one of my best and most important friends.

"Rosemarie Hathaway," Alberta called me. I went up and then it all was like a blur. I sat down, got my dose of pain, stood up, shook Alberta's hand and went back to my place. Well that was easy.

"Christian Ozera," she called again and I felt Christian move next to me.

"It's not that hard Chris. Okay. We all did this, and your tough. Now go up and get your bad ass tattoo."

He gulped heavily, stood and walked up to her. Through the bond I felt his fear. I looked at him only to see, that he was staring straight back at me. _»__You have to talk, Rose. You're the one who is tough. You and all the guardians are trained to be all hard and that. But I'm just a Moroi. That probably hurts like bitch, you're just not feeling it the way I will.__«_

I winked at him, with a small smile playing around my lips. _»__I guess this is your way of reassuring me?__«_ I nodded, so that only he could see. _»__Good. AAH, man, what the hell!__«_I smirked at him, when the guardian sat the needle on his neck for the first time. I was proud of him that he didn't move the tiniest muscle after his mental outburst. Judging by the feelings in the bond he tried really hard not to scream. Since he was still concentrating on me, I held up my thumb to show him that he did a good job.

And then I let my eyes wander. He had unbuttoned his shirt far enough to show off the upper half of his chest. Hm, seems like he is training. Well built for a Moroi. He must have seen my eyes roam over him. _»__See something you like?__«_ Unbelievable, he took my line. Again. Stupid Moroi. Note to myself: punch the Moroi for stealing your line. I shook my head at him and mouthed 'you wish'. _»__Actually...__«_ I rolled my eyes at him. Mouthing 'Lissa' he let it go. A look of regret crossed his eyes. _»__I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...__«_'Later' I mouthed before shutting my mouth and looking away from him.

Soon after everyone got their mark we were free to leave. I left the room as fast as possible, not wanting to talk to Chris right now. Probably he turns up on my threshold in the middle of the night anyways, when I have a bad dream again.

Walking up to my room I flopped down on my bed and turned on some music. Listening to it and ignoring anything else I fell into a dreamless sleep.

**go to my site and vote if you want a lemon or not... if you want to write a lemon for me, send it via PM... **

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**don't own anything... just the plot and i'm more then content with it, til i get last sacrifice next wednesday *-***


	7. Chapter 6

**so here's the next chappy :):) although it isn't sunday yet...**

**thx again to my awesome reviewers... **

**unnz4 and And Pidgeons Fly354 to be exact  
****love you guys :):)**

**hope you like that one... let me know **

~ chapter 6~

CPOV

_»__Where are you Rose? Call me or at least text me.__«_No answer. Like the last, let me guess, three hundred times. Maybe she is in her room. It's dinner now and the only reason she wouldn't be down here that I can imagine, is the kiss from earlier. I don't know which devil kicked me to do that. I can't have feelings for her. I mean, we hate each other. Everybody knows that.

I think, if she would have to decide between Strigoi and me, she probably would chose them. But she said it was the best kiss she ever got. Okay, maybe she won't chose Strigoi over me, but she'd still think about it. And I'll admit that this kiss was special. Nothing I ever shared with Lissa. I can't even hide from myself that I feel something for her. She means to me so much more, than only a sister, what I originally thought of her. And she knows what I seem to feel for her. She knew it, before I knew it myself. How crazy is that? But I guess with the bond, it will be hard to keep anything from her. And honestly? The whole 'being-jealous-about-Ivashkov-dating-her-thingy' isn't really helping my case.

When dinner was over and we left the commons I left the others to go to Rose's room. Lissa wanted to come too, but Adrian wanted to talk about something with her. Taking one last look at Lissa I saw the jealousy Rose mentioned earlier. Wonder what's gotten into her? But that way I can talk with Rose properly. Wouldn't be good, to talk with Rose about our kiss, when my girlfriend sits next to her. I think that would lead to some dead bodies on campus. Don't want to risk that.

I knocked on her door lightly, getting no answer. I tried to turn the doorknob. Rose really should start to lock her door. I stepped in and walked over to her sleeping form as quiet as I could.

I shook her shoulder gently. "Hey, Rose, you okay?"

She stirred a bit but didn't wake. I spoke to her again, but she still didn't react. Without really thinking I leaned over to give her a soft kiss on her lips. She reacted instantly.

"Mmm. That's a good way to wake up. What's up Chris," she asked in a sleepy voice.

"I'm not even going to ask, how you knew it was me." I said chuckling. "I came to look, if you're okay. You didn't show up for dinner, I was just worried." _»__Worried that it was because of me.__«_

"Don't be stupid Chris. I wouldn't leave out dinner because of you. I was just sleeping and boy was it a good sleep. No dreams, no emotions, no anything. Just sleep. No need to worry about me Pyro." I let out a sigh. What that girl does to me.

"Let's talk then, shall we?" She asked. I bowed my head and sat down on the floor in front of her bed. She looked at me disbelievingly.

"Please, sit up here. I can't keep that serious, when I'm looking down at you," she finally said with a smile tugging at her lips.

I got up and sat down next to her, both of us leaning against the headboard and staring on the wall ahead of us. After a few minutes of silence I spoke up.

"So what was that between us?"

"Like you said, spur of the moment thing. Nothing else." But I knew better. I could see the hurt in her eyes. Through the bond she must have felt, that I saw through her.

"Really. It was nothing. I think it was just because I got overwhelmed by everything that recently happened. And even if there would be something, I want to give Adrian a chance. He really likes me and I like him, maybe it could work. And you stay with Lissa. You would always stay with Lissa, you lover her. I know you do. You belong together. Besides, I'm just a Dhampir, my feelings don't matter. Remember what I told you about the first lesson every Novice goes through? _They come first._ I'm not important, the only thing I'm important for is to protect the Moroi, to protect you. My feelings don't matter anything."

Staring at her disbelievingly I had just some simple thoughts running through my mind. _»__How can you say that? Your feelings do matter. Your life matters.__«_ In response she just shrugged her shoulders and turned her head to look at me.

"Listen Chris, I'm still pretty tired, so could you please... just leave and let me sleep?" That was the only thing I really didn't want to do, but you don't want Rose Hathaway on your bad side, cause you kept her from sleeping. I reluctantly got up and went over to her door. I turned around one last time, before leaving her dorm.

"When you need someone to talk, I'll be there. Just so you know."

She gave me a warm smile before turning around on her bed, her back facing me. Before I closed the door I thought I heard a small sob escaping her lips.

RPOV

Friday. Best day of the week. Especially, when you know that there are just twenty hours left until you have a date with the most popular and handsome bachelor of our society. To say I wasn't excited would be an understatement.

Since the evening after the ceremony I haven't talked to Christian. Through our bond I felt, that he was worried for me, but he kept what he said – that we should have time apart from each other. At least, til we're into all that bond stuff. To be honest, it was hard to see him all lovey dovey with Lissa, but he held back – because of me. Every time I was around, he merely showed any affections for her. Lissa asked him, what that all was about in a very jealous manner. His answer? I quote, 'I promised Rose, that she wouldn't get to much loving feelings for you. You don't want her fall for you, huh? Just til she gets the stuff with blocking me'. Hadn't I seen how content Lissa was with that answer, I probably would have punched Pyro in his beautiful face.

And yes, you guessed it. I'm fallen. Fallen for Pyro. I'm totally and completely in love with him, and he can't know, because I told him to stay with Lissa and that he belonged to her.

Besides, have I mentioned my date with that popular and handsome bachelor. Yeah wouldn't be fair for him right? When I'm in love with someone else, but dating him, like he had a real chance. I'm bad and I know it. What else can one do, to keep her best friend happy? And it's true, what I said to Pyro. My feelings don't matter, even if it sucks. I'm just a guardian, a Dhampir, an nearly unimportant person in that world. Just there to give my life for the Moroi.

Right now I was in my room, together with Mia, since Lissa didn't want to talk to me since her boyfriend was bonded to me and I was able to feel his emotions. She acts like I'm not even there most of the time. It hurts, but it'll get better. I hope.

Adrian just called and told me where we will be going for our date. He got permission from Kirova to get me off campus and bring me to Court with his own jet. There we would go to a restaurant, have something nice to eat, then move on to see a movie and finally end the evening with a walk through his aunt's gardens. Sounded definitely like a fun evening. I knew that Adrian was in love with me, but such an effort, just to have a nice date with me is pretty awesome. Mia says that too. Now we're looking through my wardrobe to find something nice to wear. Only to get a text from Adrian some minutes later that said:  
**Hey Little D, don't worry bout a dress. Open the door to your room ;) Love A. p.s.: be down at the jet at 9, we'll fly today. **

Great. Away from that hellhole for longer than I thought. I packed some essentials into my backpack and sat down on my bed again. Looking at the clock I saw that I had just thirty minutes left. Better hurry, don't want to be late. Mia shooed me out the door and I took off at a fast pace.

Coming to the jet I got a bit confused. There was the jet, there was Adrian. All good that far. But why the hell, were there Chris, Lissa, Eddie, Mia and Dimitri? Hm, maybe just to say bye for the weekend. Then I saw, that they all had bags with them.

_»It was a surprise from Adrian. We all go to court and spend all weekend there. You have your date and we'll go to a party. You won't even see us there. Promise.« _

I smiled, when I approached them. "Hey guys, nice that you accompany us to court." All of them looked at me like I was on fire and then they turned to Chris. He knew what they wanted.

"Hey, sorry. She looked like she would go and punch everyone of us straight in the face. Couldn't risk that, could I?" Everybody including me laughed at that. I think I would have messed up to many pretty Moroi faces during the process.

Settling down in the jet, we all had a happy chat. Well, all except me and Lissa. I sat together with Dimitri.

"You know Comrade. It's pretty poor, if all your friends are seven years younger than you," I said with a teasing smile.

"You're not all my friends. Remember, I'm an adult, I have other friends, amongst the Guardians. And I have Tasha."

"Yeah, Tasha doesn't really count. She's more the friends with benefits type."

"You know, that it isn't like that between us. At least not for me. God, you're so immature sometimes," he said rolling his brown eyes.  
"It's a miracle you even talk to me then," I said with a grin on my lips.  
"You're worth it. You're really like my little sister, Viktoria. You two are so much alike. Snarky comments, no respect for the authority and don't let me start on all that rebellious behavior."

I smacked him on the arm – I think I don't need to mention, that it didn't affect him at all – and laughed.

"Might be true, but I doubt that you would kick your sisters ass like you kick mine every damn training session." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I kick _your_ ass right. Believe me, you're the best friend someone can wish for and I count you as my sister, but my real sisters get it even worse, when it comes to the ass-kicking."

"I believe that, when I see it." With that we both leaned back in our seats and got comfortable.

Just as the jet took off, I got the worst headache of my life. Pressing my palms to my forehead to relieve the pain, I felt Dimitri's worried look on me.

"Hey, what is it?"

"My fucking head hurts, like it's going to explode!" He got up, probably to get some painkillers. I swallowed them, like my life depended on it and rested my head on Dimitri's shoulder. Not long and I was in a peaceful sleep.

I woke to someone lightly shaking my shoulder and speaking to me.

_»Hey B, time to get up, we're here.«_

I slowly opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. "You know, you really have to stop doing that." Next to me was Pyro, waiting for me to wake up.

"Doing what?"

"Calling me B. I have a name and you know it." He smirked.

"I won't stop calling you that. Not as long as you keep calling me Pyro or fire crotch or Sparky or whatever. That sounds like I'm a pyromaniac." I gave him a wide grin and tried to raise my eyebrow at him, the way Dimitri always does and I failed miserably.

"Hey Comrade, come over here," I called to Dimitri. He came over immediately.

"What is it? Something wrong? Or do you just want to kick Ozera and want me to hold him down?" I think I may affect the Russian way too much. And he had the nerve to give me a teasing smile. Damn Russians.

"No you're not here to hold him down. I could do that by myself without any problems. No, that may sound stupid, but would you please raise an eyebrow at him," I asked pointing at Chris. He raised his damn eyebrow at me and then turned to Chris.

"See that Pyro, that's what I wanted to do. Back to topic. You don't like me calling you Pyro, cause that sounds like your a pyromaniac. But here comes the point Sparky. You _are_ a pyromaniac. That's as simple as it gets." He huffed, but had no argument against it.

_»__Maybe you're right__«_he admitted through the bond. _»__But the one time with Jesse and Ralf was just to defend my friends.__«_

"Yeah and the one time you set Adrian's hair on fire or when the garden behind the church burst into flames?" His eyes widened lightly. Ha! I had him.

"Okay, when you say so. Still I don't like it, when you give me that stupid nicknames."

"Tell you something Ozera," Dimitri piped in, "Rose has something for absolutely stupid and inappropriate nicknames." When he's right, he's right.

"See, Comrade here knows how you feel. And does he complain? No, cause he takes it like the man he is." Dimitri shook his head at me.

"You know very well, that I used to complain all the time, but since I know that you won't change your mind about it I just give into my destiny and live with it." I gave them both a last grin and finally got up from my seat in the jet and walked outside and to the SUV that brought us over to guest housing.

**really guys? 5 votes? that's actually... can't even describe it... thanks to the one's who actually voted for something... **

**just so you know... i'll definitely do a lemon... at least one... but since just 5 of you voted and just 4 for the lemon(s) i'll write them on my own, since i don't feel like you'd want to write one for a contest or me... **  
**for the person who was against the lemon... i'll mark the scene(s) so you can skip them when you don't want to read them... **


	8. Chapter 7

**new chappy :)**

**today my thanks goes to... **

**unnz4**  
**DeadlyBlackRoses**  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**

**for reviewing my last chapter :):) thx guys, you know you made my weekend :) **

~ chapter 7 ~

RPOV

That Saturday morning I wanted to sleep in. After the enormous headache I had the other day, all I wanted was to sleep. But one of my dear friends had to destroy my plans. It was ten in the morning, when she banged on the door, like there was no tomorrow. I knew Adrian wouldn't pick me up before five pm. So why the hell was she here trying to kill my door? I slowly got up from the bed and shuffled to the door, trying to keep my eyes open. Standing in front of me was my favorite porcelain doll, better known as Mia Rinaldi.

"Whoa, Mia. What has the poor door ever done to you? No need for violence you know." She gave me a pointed look, stormed straight to my backpack and pulled out all my hair products and make up, without saying a word.

"Good morning to you, too," I mumbled to myself.

"No time for smalltalk. You. Shower. Now."

"Jeez, what's gotten into you?"

"You have a date today. With a freaking Ivashkov who is absolutely head over heels for you. You need to look stunning. So go on, take a shower. When you're done, get dressed and then we'll have an appointment in the spa. Manicure and pedicure for the two of us and maybe a massage from Ambrose himself."  
"A massage from lover-boy himself? Then I can't say no, can I?" Thinking of Ambrose, the Queen's lover, I had to giggle a bit. He was fun to be around and knows how to make a girl feel beautiful. Who doesn't want that? Sighing I took a towel and walked into my bathroom and took my ordered shower.

About half an hour later I stepped out of it and quickly got dressed into simple sweatpants and a tank top. We walked over to the spa and met Ambrose. He greeted us by hugging us tightly.

"Rose. Nice to see you again. How have you been?" He looked really interested.

"Oh you know. The normal stuff. Training with no limits, getting on my mentor's nerves, wanting to punch everyone, who says stupid stuff about me and killing Strigoi with no end. See? All well." Ambrose actually looked surprised at the Strigoi comment. "Did you fight in that attack? How many did you kill?" We stepped through the doors before I answered.  
"We'll change quickly, then I'll tell you the story okay? Telling and relaxing with the help of a good massage will loosen up my mind and tongue."

He nodded with a small grin plastered on his face. "Yeah do that. Just come in, I'll wait for the two of you."

Mia and I changed into our bikinis and some silk robes and stepped out into the room where we would get our treatment.

"So Rose, tell me. How come you fought in the attack?"

I told him everything. How I went to find Christian, cause Lissa was so worried about him. That I wanted to take him back to the Moroi dorms, but that he stayed with me and helped me killing them by setting them on fire. Leaving out the me getting staked and dying part I told him, how we walked over the campus the next morning and realized that we killed over twenty of them. Finally showing him my battle star he was content with the story and seemed somewhat proud of what I had achieved in the short time since we met.

The time in the spa went by as fast as an express train and soon Mia and I headed over to the cafe of her dad to grab some lunch. We had just sat down, when suddenly I was pulled into Chris's head.

He was in front of Adrian's door over in guest housing. I didn't know what he was doing there, maybe for training Spirit a bit.

He knocked and waited for a response. After some moments he knocked again. Still not getting any response he got a bit worried for the drunk. Shocker right? Chris worried for Adrian. I think hell just froze over.

He opened the door slowly, but pushed it open with an unknown force, when he saw what Adrian was doing. He was on the bed with another girl. They broke their kiss to turn and look who interrupted them. Adrian's eyes widened and he tried to get up from the bed, but fell all tangled up in the covers.  
"What the hell Ivashkov? What are you doing here?" Chris got angrier by the second.

"Uhm, it's not what it looks like?" It came out as a question, but surely wasn't meant that way.

"Not what it looks like? Man, you have a date with one of the most wonderful women on this bloody planet. Today. In three hours actually. And here you are screwing some bitch. I'm sure it totally is, what it looks like."

Adrian was shocked about Chris' statement. He didn't know what to say, but in his eyes I could see the realization of what he had done.

"God, you're so stupid. All that alcohol seemed to have blown more brain cells than I thought." I felt the rage in him and the worry for me. As fast as I got in there I was out again. I felt something wet on my cheeks and realized that I was crying. Mia stared at me in shock.

"Rose what happened? You didn't respond and were just staring. You even dropped your food. Never thought to see that happen, actually. Anyways. What is it? Something with Chris?"

"I was just in his head. Sorry, didn't mean to worry you Mia. But... we don't need to go on with our preparations. The date won't happen. Not today, not ever." With that I got up from where I sat and walked back to my room. When I came there Christian was already waiting outside my locked door.

"Rose, we need to talk." He looked so worried in that moment it made my heart clench.

"No we don't Chris. I was there. I saw what happened. I don't want to talk about it. And damn Ivashkov should watch out the next time he comes into my way," I said unlocking my door and stepping inside. Christian followed me and sat down on my bed. Thinking about my words he realized what I meant.

"Sorry Rose. I didn't mean to. Sorry that you had to see that."

"No prob Chris. Better now as at a moment, when it's far to late. It was nice what you said about me, though." He looked at me for a moment. I thought he wouldn't reply when I heard his voice in my head. _»__I meant it.__«_

I gave him a slight smile and leaned into his shoulder for a short moment.

"Since you don't have a date anymore... how about you come with me to that party I told you about?"

"I don't know Chris. I think there would be one girl I know pretty good, who would go all killer on me if I'd show up with you."

"Then don't show up with me. Just come there to meet your awesome friends."

"But I don't have anything to wear," I said in the whiny voice of a three year old.

"Hm, would it be up to me you could come in your sweatpants and a hoodie. But since nobody is interested in my opinion you should go with the dress Ivashkov gave you." Did he just flirt with me? Again?

"You realize that you go all softy on me right? I don't know if I like it or not. But it's freaking me out at the moment." He chuckled lightly and then smirked at me. Stupid Ozera-smirk. It's like a car accident – you want to look away but you can't.

"Suck it up Hathaway. Now do your hair and your make up stuff and whatever you girls do in five hours, and come over to the garden behind the cafe from Mia's dad. It starts at seven. Don't be late Hathaway or I might start singing in your head." I felt my eyes widen.

"You wouldn't!"

_»__Sure I would__«_ was all he replied in a sing-song-voice, before walking out my door.

Picking up my cell I called Mia, to come over to my place – again – telling her that I had to get ready for the party. She told me she would quickly grab her stuff and come over so we could dress together and talk some more. When I returned to the Academy some months ago, I would never have thought, that I could ever have a girls day with Mia. Things can change faster than you can imagine.

CPOV

I just wanted to verify my threat to Rose, when I saw her and Mia enter the garden where the party took place. They both were wearing cocktail dresses, but I had only eyes for Rose. Lissa was nowhere to be seen, so I let my eyes roam over her body.

The dress she wore was a deep purple and showed off every of her curves. It went down to just above her knees and had a black bow under the chest. The back looked like a corsage and showed off her beautiful almond skin. Her already long legs were further extended by black four inch heels, which let them seem even more perfect. _»__Doesn't just seem perfect, it _is_ perfect.__«_ She came over to me with a teasing smile on her lips. How she can walk with such a grace on these shoes is beyond me.

"You know Pyro, when you're staring at me this way it isn't really a way how a man looks at a friend. And you should try to keep your thoughts for yourself. But thanks, I know that I'm perfect," she smirked and walked back to Mia.

We all had our fair share of drinks and laughed and gossiped about Court and school stuff. It was just some minutes after midnight (Moroi schedule), when Rose and I went looking for Lissa. Rose said she wanted to clear out the issues between them. Mostly the part how ridiculous Lissa's thoughts about Rose and I were. Not that ridiculous remembering my thoughts towards Rose in the last couple of days. And that kiss. Man, I couldn't forget a simple kiss. _»__May have been simple, but the best kiss ever.__«_  
"You know this isn't really helping, when we want to convince Lissa that there is nothing between us." _»__Ah, shit. I should really learn how to block you out of my stupid head.__«_

"Yeah you should, Pyro. Now where is..." she cut herself off, when we rounded a corner. Her eyes went wide and I saw the rage building up in her brown eyes. I turned around to see, what she saw and felt my own anger rising at the scene in front of me. Before I could do anything, she was walking towards the couple, that didn't even register us cause it was too deep in a heavy make out session. She grabbed the girl by one shoulder and spun her around.

"Lissa, what the fuck? What are you doing here?"

"Let me think? Maybe doing with Aaron, what I can't do with my own boyfriend because of you!" Rose looked truly shocked. Then Rose took a look at me and turned back to Lissa.

"Wanna know what I think? I think you just lost the most precious person in your life. He never did anything to you and yet here you are, kissing your stupid ex-boyfriend. Great job, Vasilisa. Well done." Lissa looked horrified at what Rose just said, but Rose was right. Lissa lost me, not just today but that was the final straw to give me the bravery to break up with her. And now I didn't even need to break up, her best friend did it for me.

"But it was your fault. Because of you, I couldn't kiss him. Because of you, I couldn't sleep with him. Because of you, he didn't even really look at me. Are you really expecting from me to think, that he never did anything. He chose you over me!"

"He didn't chose me over you. Maybe he took things a bit slow between the two of you, because of the bond and the feelings I got from him. But just because he didn't want to get things awkward between _you_ and _me_. You hear me? he did it for _our_ friendship! And the night I died? He stayed with me, because of you. Because he knew, how mad you would get, if he just would've left me alone out there. He didn't even know that he would heal me, but he did it. And you wanna know why? For you and me! He didn't want you to lose your best friend, your sister, the last thing that you had close to a family." Lissa had tears streaming down her face by now, but Rose didn't stop, and I wanted to hear everything that she had to say. "Want to know one more thing, Princess?" Lissa shook her head.

"Please, Rose, stop it. I get it," she whispered in a barely audible voice. Although she heard her, Rose ignored what she just said.

"You destroyed your relationship with your stupid jealousy, that didn't even make sense. And you know it. You're my best friend, my sister, but what you did to Chris right now, goes over everything that I feel for you. I am the one who has to deal with his feelings. Me. Not you. I have to deal with his hurt and anger, that _you_ caused by _your_ actions. You knew that I wasn't interested in him. But you are the one who caused me to be the one to take care of him now. You screwed up, because you were too stupid to trust us." With that Rose grabbed my hand and led me out of the garden and back to her room.

I still didn't say a word. I was too impressed by Rose's little speech. Thinking about it, I never saw her that angry against Lissa. Sitting down on her bed she hugged me and pulled away again, to look me in the eyes.

"You okay Chris?" I nodded at her, totally aware of her worry for me.

"Don't lie to me Chris. I can feel your hurt. It's like I said to her, I'm here to deal with it, so let me help you." She squeezed my hands reassuringly, in her eyes I could see her determination to take care of me.

_»I'm not okay, Rose. It hurts, but somehow I'm glad she did that. That was the last straw. I needed just that one to be sure.« _

"Sure of what?" I gave her a pointed look and slowly leaned closer to her. When she leaned away I thought she wouldn't want that to happen, but after one look to my eyes, she quickly closed the distance between us and kissed me with her perfect lips. I quickly responded and soon we were making out like it was our last day.

We slowly took each others clothes off and finally were just left in our underwear. She had on a black lace bra and matching panties. Admiring her body I hovered over her. _»You are so beautiful, I wonder how nobody jumps you, when you're just walking around.«_

"Thank you," she breathed before kissing me again. I eagerly responded and let my hands slide over her stomach. She pulled away from me, trying to regain her breath and looked me deep in the eyes. It was like she looked into my soul.

"I think we should stop, Chris. Right now this isn't good." I reluctantly lay down beside her and nodded.

"You're right. Let's just sleep. I mean, if I can stay here?" She looked at me again.

"Sure you can stay here. Remember? I have to take care of you," she said with a cheeky grin before snuggling into me and falling asleep.

**come on... review review review... i'll thank those who reviewed in the beginning of the next chapter... which will be out on thursday... or friday... first i'll have to get last sacrifice without killing my mother, cause she wants to give it to me for christmas -.-''**


	9. Chapter 8

**so it's thursday... as i told most of myreviewers here's the update :)**  
**i'm totally drugged up right now... too much sugar and too much of watching lost girl all day... pays off to be sick *-* though it sucks to drink tea all day -.-**

**this time thx goes to... **  
**cuteorama (special thx for making me all mushy ;))**  
**missa27**  
**unnz4**  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
**SexxiiVampireLover14**  
**DeadlyBlackRoses**  
**vamp-academy-luvr**

**you're just too awesome :) waking up all grumpy and then getting your reviews  
literally made my day :) **

**and now on with the story :) **

~ chapter 8 ~

RPOV

When I woke up the next morning, I felt two strong arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close to a warm body – again. Becomes kind of a routine huh? Opening my eyes, the events from last night came rushing back and I groaned inwardly about what I said to Lissa. Carefully I wiggled out of Christian's arms, looked for some clothes and went to my bathroom to take a shower and change.

Chris was still sound asleep, when I came out again thirty minutes later. Leaving him a note I slipped out of my room and closed the door behind me as quiet as I could.

Walking down to the cafe I felt a familiar presence walking towards me. Picking up my pace I tried to get away from him, but he already caught me by my arm. Spinning around I was face to face with that damn Ivashkov, who obviously wasn't smart enough to stay away from me after what he'd done. Growling I took a step away from him and got out of his reach.

"What do you want, Adrian?"

"About yesterday... has Ozera told you?" He looked so worried, under normal circumstances I would've pitied him. But that weren't normal circumstances.

"He didn't need to. I saw it for myself, so don't you dare telling me, that it wasn't what it looked like. Chris was right. We're done before we even started."  
"Please Rose. Let me explain. You know I love you." I snorted. I know, not really ladylike, but I'm not a lady, especially not right now.

"You don't love me Adrian. You love money, alcohol, your stupid clove cigarettes and most of all, you love yourself. Other people don't matter to you. I was just another trophy for you. You know that you screwed up and if you won't stay away from me until I say that I forgive you, what won't happen too soon, I'll break every bone in your fucking body, starting with your pretty royal nose." The thing with alcoholics is just this – they don't listen in moments, when they really should do so. Adrian closed the distance between us and pressed his lips to mine. I pulled away almost immediately and slapped him. He looked unaffected and came towards me again. I pulled my right arm back and clenched my fist. It connected faster with his nose, then he could dodge it and gave a satisfying crack and a stream of blood showed. I heard steps behind me and turned to look who it was. Dimitri was walking towards me, guardian mask in place.

"Rose, what's going on here? Why did you punch a royal? Why the nephew of our queen?" He looked like he wanted to pull out his hair.  
"Why don't you ask him yourself? He knows pretty well. Now excuse me Guardian Belikov, I have to get breakfast for me and my friend." Dimitri gave me a look, which clearly said that he would talk to me about it later, but then nodded and turned to Adrian.

"Come on Lord Ivashkov, we'll bring you to the infirmary. And I would suggest you'll tell nobody who did this to you, or I'll punch you too." Chuckling lightly I walked into the cafe.

I quickly grabbed some donuts and some coffee and went back to my room, only to find it empty. I put the breakfast down on the desk and went over to my bed. There was a little note in Chris' handwriting:

_hey rose, gone to my room, be back in 10, xx pyro_

Grinning I put it on my nightstand and waited. No five minutes later Chris opened the door. He wore some black jeans and a tight fitting gray shirt, showing off his muscles. Let me tell you, for a Moroi, he was very well built. His hair looked a bit ruffled, like always, and his eyes... Damn those eyes. How I never got hypnotized by them before, is beyond me. It felt like he looked into my inner core, knowing all my deepest and darkest secrets with just one glance at me.

He came over to the bed and gave me a light kiss on the forehead. Smiling he looked me up and down. »As beautiful as ever.« I snorted.

"Yeah right, in sweatpants and an old shirt." _»Enough for me«_ he thought with a slight smile.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I said before giving him a peck on the cheek and trying to walk to the desk – keyword trying. I wasn't even on both my feet, when he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me back onto the bed. _»And where do you think you're going?«_

"Just getting our breakfast over here. You know, it's in your best interest. If I don't eat I lose my awesome body." He was over by the desk and back to bed in a flash.  
"Eat. You look like you're starving. Wouldn't want that," he said with a cheeky grin.

We both ate our chocolate glazed donuts without another word. When we were done, I looked at him and wasn't able to suppress my laugh. He looked like I was insane.

"What? Is there something in my face?"

"Actually... yes... " I choked out between fits of laughter.

"Well, then don't laugh at me. Show me and I'll wipe it away."

"Wait... okay... here, let me help you," I said, looking him in the eyes, before leaning in and softly kissing the corner of his lip, where he had some chocolate left. _»Nice way to help.«_ I smiled against his lips and kissed him again. He responded just like the day before, but not wanting to go too far, I pulled away. I had to chuckle, when I saw him pouting.

"Before doing anything, we need to talk. And I mean really talk. Not like me answering your thoughts like I'm schizophrenic. Like my counselor says 'voice your thoughts'." He sighed and looked me straight in the eyes.

"You're right. But after that talk I'll go back to get on your nerves with everything in my head. Spill."

I sighed heavily before speaking. Hey, some drama never killed someone. Okay, maybe some people, but you know where I come from.

"I don't want to be your rebound girl. I mean, I know what your feelings for me are, I get it first hand. But others don't. When we get together – like in being a couple – I'll already have to deal with these stupid blood whore rumors again. It would be too much, if they won't believe in our feelings for each other, and instead say that you're just with me, to get back at you know who."

"Wow, you're really angry at her, when you won't even say her name." I shrugged but felt an urge to explain myself.

"She treated you bad and was totally stupid, when she thought that I want to be with you."  
"So you don't want me and you becoming an us?" Did he really think that? Okay, rethinking my words... it really sounded like that.

"I wish you could read my thoughts, Chris."

"Then tell me, what you think. I want to know," he said in a sincere voice. So I did.

"I told you to stay with her Chris, because you belong together and you love her. I never wanted to destroy anything. And she knew what we felt towards each other. I didn't feel more for you then for Dimitri. But that was a week ago. Now I don't want to be with you. I need to be with you." I paused for a moment. "Whoa, that sounded like a real cliche from a chick flick movie. Anyways, it's the truth. With that bond between us you became the most important person in my life. I feel an overwhelming urge to protect you with everything that I have. Hell, you're even more worth to me then Lissa. And you of all people should know, how much that means from my mouth. In the last week I really got to know you. I took a closer look at you. With you I feel like I can talk about everything, but I also know that we can be with each other without saying anything. The first person who achieved that with me was Dimitri, not even Lissa got that close to me." He just stared at me, speechless about my little rant.

"What do you say? Before I say anything else, I want to hear, what you think and feel."

"There's still more? Well, okay. My feelings. Here we go. I... like you, really like you. You know that I think you're beautiful. What you don't know is, that you're the most beautiful person I've ever met, in and out. You defended me against Jesse and Ralf, when you got assigned to me for field ex and back then you didn't even like me. Last night you stood in for me against your best friend and sister. No matter how wrong she was, not many people would have done that, especially not to the last Dragomir." At this point he took a deep breath, thinking about what to say next. "When I look at you I feel at home. First I thought of you as a bitch, then you became my sister, part of my family, but when you died I realized how much I really feel for you. Did you know, that I cried about you, when I was holding your body in my arms?" I nodded slightly and mumbled

"Yeah, I sort of saw that." "Well, actually I think I do more then like you. I think I'm in love with you. I love the way your body feels against mine. I love how your lips feel on mine. I love talking to you and I love spending time with you. I love sharing a bed with you. I love looking at you. I love every fiber of your being and I think I couldn't live without you." He looked away from me, while I was too dumbfounded to answer him.

Suddenly he stood and walked over to the door. "I should probably go, since I just made a giant fool out of myself." That got me moving again. I quickly stepped into his way, trying to look into his eyes. I cupped his beautiful face with my hands and forced him to look at me. "Can you repeat that?" His eyes showed a glint of anger and hurt.

"What? That I just made a fool out of me," he snapped at me. Not fazed by his anger I chuckled. "No, Silly. Before that. The part after you crying about me being dead." His face softened and he blushed. Oh. My. God. Christian Ozera just blushed! The world must be coming to an end.

"Oh, you meant that part. Why should I repeat it? Didn't listen as always, huh Hathaway," he said in a mocking voice.

"I actually listened to every word of your speech, but I want to hear it again," I said with a little smile. His face lit up when he honored me with one of his dazzling smiles.

"I think it was something about your body, every fiber of your being, us sharing a bed, talking to you and what you're probably waiting for... I'm in love with you." By now I had tears in my eyes, not believing that somebody would ever love me like Chris obviously did. I pulled his face down to me and kissed him with as much passion and love as I could. He quickly responded and brought me back to my bed. When I pulled away to catch my breath, he slightly grinned at me.

"I take it, that you feel the same," he said with a questioning tone. I gave him a peck on the lips before looking at him.

"I'm in love with you, too." Chris leaned down again to kiss me.

As our kisses grew more passionate, his hand slowly slid up on my sides. Soon they went under my shirt and he made small circles on my stomach. In turn I pulled up his shirt and above his head, tossing it somewhere in the room. He looked at me questioningly.

"Don't worry, I'm not ready to go all the way, yet. Right now I just want to look at you." Averting my gaze down to his chest a groan escaped my lips. "You know, for a Moroi you have a really well built body," I said while tracing his lightly defined six-pack with my fingers. It wasn't in any way like Dimitri's six-pack, but it just let him look so much better.

"A penny for your thoughts," he whispered near my ear. I smiled at him.

"I just thought about how great your body looks." He kissed me again.

"Come on let's take a walk," I suddenly said, pulling him up and towards my door. He chuckled at me while pulling his shirt over his head. _»Eager much?«_

"I just want to walk around court before we leave in a few hours. And I want to do it with my..." I trailed off not knowing, if I should call him my boyfriend.

"Boyfriend" he asked me in a lightly amused voice, but I also could feel his insecurity through the bond. Nodding I took a step towards him. I lay my right hand on his chest, softly gripping a fistful of his shirt and pulling him closer to me.

"Boyfriend," I confirmed and kissed him. His hands on my hips he pulled me even closer and deepened the kiss. Realizing that we were in the middle of a hallway I pulled away.

"We should really stop that or I'll jump you in front of everyone." _»I sure as hell wouldn't mind.«_ Without looking at him I knew, that he smirked at me. "Yeah you. But I don't want to scar anybody for the rest of their lives." He chuckled again, before following me out of guest housing towards a beautiful big garden, with a small pond and some benches below some cherry-trees.

We sat there and talked, sometimes kissed, until we needed to head back to our rooms to get our stuff and going back to St. Vlad's.

**i'm quite pissed at my mom cause she won't buy me last sacrifice before christmas -.- stupid parents -.- so if you read it...pls don't tell me anything... don't want me to get all jealous on my lovely readers now do we?**

**i'll thank every reviewer again at the beginning of chappy 9... so you know how it works :)**

**and... like always... just the plot is mine... everything else... you know it :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**here's the next one :)**  
**it's actually a bit short and i'm sorry for that...**  
**next update will need some days, cause a friend stays**  
**at mine and i haven't seen her in a while... lots of catching up :)**

**big thanks to...**  
**unnz4**  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
**DeadlyBlackRoses**  
**DreamingPoet1988**  
**vamp-academy-luvr  
you're awesome *.* love to read your opinions on this**

~ chapter 9 ~

RPOV

Taking our seats on the plane I sat between Dimitri and Chris. Lissa and Adrian were on the other end, both not daring to look at us.

"So Roza, wanna tell me what that is all about?" I looked at Dimitri to see him with a wondering expression.

"You mean that morning with Adrian's nose? Or that," I asked gesturing towards the cheating idiots.

"Adrian's nose," I heard Chris asking while Dimitri nodded.

I turned around to Chris looking at him with a giant smile on my face. "I broke Adrian's nose this morning, because he was too drunk to listen to me, when I told him to stay away from me. Instead of listening he kissed me and earned a broken nose from my side." Dimitri looked at me with an amused smile and Christian started laughing.

"You broke a royal's nose without getting cuffed," he asked after composing himself.

"Yup," I said popping the 'p'. "But the not-being-cuffed-part may just be, because the Russian over here threatened him to punch him too, if he tells anyone, that it was me who did that," I went on pointing at Dimitri. Christian just shook his head with a smirk on his lips.

"And why is Lissa sitting with him in the corner of shame?" Both, Chris and mine, looks grew deadly.

"She is just as bad as Adrian. He cheated on me, before we even had our first date, so I went to that party for Chris' benefit and after a few hours we walked around and saw Lissa standing against a wall kissing Aaron. She actually had the decency to say, that all of that was my fault, and that it was because of me, that she couldn't kiss her boyfriend, yada yada yada. So I told her my opinion and here we are. But want to know the best part about that stupid weekend?" He nodded and waited for me to continue. "I don't hate my life any longer," I said smiling while intertwining my fingers with Chris'.

"See? I told you he doesn't hate you," he said with a knowing smile after getting over the first shock.

»_You thought I hate you?_«

"That was before the last week. When I realized, that I was falling for you," I whispered barely audible while blushing. He led my hand to his lips and kissed it softly. _»Love you too B.«_ he thought gazing into my eyes.

Dimitri cleared his throat on my other side. I knew what was coming. Brother-to-boyfriend-talk. Just peachy.

"Ozera, you know how I feel for Rose. She's my sister, although God knows I already have enough of them. But if you ever hurt that girl I'll be the one to take care of you. I'll rip you apart in a very slowly and painful way. And I'm pretty sure Tasha would be on my side instead of yours." My cure to interject.

"Whoa, Comrade. Don't you think, that I can threaten him pretty well myself? But thanks for your concern." My big Russian smiled again.

"Just the best for you Rosie," he said with a teasing half-smile.

"You're lucky, that I have some twisted sort of respect for you, or I would punch you for calling me Rosie." Instead I smacked the back of his head and saw, that it actually hurt him, cause I caught him off guard.

"Damn Rose. Doesn't seem like the counseling helps much," he said glaring at me.

"Nope. So call it off and let me train again or I might just smack you again."

"I'll think about it," he said in an actually sincere voice. With that he took one of his bloody western novels out of the pocket of his coat and started reading. How many of theses books can one have?

_»Sleep Rose, I'll wake you when we're back.«_

"I'm not tired," I whispered, suppressing a yawn.

_»Right, and I'm human.«_

I chuckled lightly, leaning my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes.

I was woken again by Chris, right before we were arriving on the Academy's landing field. I took in my surroundings and saw Lissa glaring at me. _Great, now she hates me_ I thought, when I realized that I was cuddled up against Chris. He must have seen my look, cause he snorted and leaned in and whispered something to me.

"Don't worry about her. She has to blame herself. You did nothing wrong. Just ignore her."

"But she's my best friend Chris. I can't live with it, if she is angry at me. I don't know what to do, to make it up to her."

"She'll get over it, you'll see. Give her time. She has to see, that it is her own fault. Right now we're everything that matters. We have everyone else okay?"

I nodded and gave him a loving look. "I'm glad that I have you Chris," I said before giving him a peck on the lips. _»As I am to have you.«_

When we landed I was the first one out of the plane and back on the ground. I hated to admit it, but flying wasn't really my most favorite hobby. Christian laughed at me through the bond and I gave him a death glare. I stepped closer to him, so that only he could hear me.

"One more laugh and I swear no kissing and no nights together. You won't feel that we're together, I'll treat you just as I did, before that one night for at least a month." He gulped and stopped laughing and just stared at me wide eyed. "Much better, thank you." I smirked at him before turning around and walking towards the Academy's grounds. We were just in time for dinner so I went straight to the commons. I accompanied Chris to the feeders before I got something to eat and we sat on our normal table. Soon Eddie and Mia joined us and we had a happy chat about our weekend. Just when we told them, that we were together now Lissa and Adrian stood at our table. They looked like lost little puppies.

"What do you want," I snapped at them, cheering for myself when I saw Adrian's bruised face.

"We want to sit at our table, like always, and talk to our friends," Lissa answered, her voice dripping with venom. So much for the lost puppy.

"I can't talk for Eddie and Mia, but I'm pretty sure, that you aren't welcome here in Chris' and mine opinions. Look over there is a table you can have," I said, pointing to a table near the trashcans, voice just as cold as Lissa's was before. They didn't move away so I did. I stood and pulled Chris up with me, feeling his uneasiness towards Lissa. "Come Chris, I sort of lost my appetite." I left my tray on the table and went out of the commons and up to my room. Chris followed me and we both sat on my bed, talking and kissing until we were both too tired to move the smallest muscle and fell asleep in each others arms.

CPOV

I woke in the middle in the night to a shaking body.

"Rose?" I lightly shook her shoulders until her eyes fluttered open and her unshed tears started flowing down her cheeks.  
"Hey what is it honey? Please don't cry. It'll be okay, everything's fine."

She lightly shook her head and stared at me.

"It happened again Chris. I had that dream again. The one of my dead. I saw me dying and how everybody was shocked about me being dead. And I saw you crying. God, Chris I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I couldn't even protect you. I'm a lousy novice." I couldn't believe, what she just said. I led one of my hands up to her neck and slowly traced her battle star, while intently gazing into her eyes.

"Rose, you're not a bad novice, you're the best one, that this school has ever seen. And you protected me, you did well. I'm proud to call you my girlfriend alright? You killed more then twenty Strigoi, you did as best as you can. It was my fault, that I didn't get away from him fast enough. And you should be happy that I cried. That was the moment I realized I feel something for you," I tried to lighten her mood. With her next words I knew that I succeeded.

"I don't know what I would do without you Chris. You healed me from the dead. Okay, without you I would have to deal with my own feelings and not with the feelings of a male teenager. That's actually a real pain in the ass you know." I chuckled lightly. _»Yeah sorry about that.«_ I thought, knowing very well, that she heard it. She snuggled closer to me and gave me a soft kiss to my chin, since she couldn't reach my lips.

"I love you Pyro." I smiled and gave her a kiss to the forehead.

"Love you too Rosie," I whispered smirking. She smacked me on the chest, not as hard as she had smacked Dimitri earlier, but it still stung a bit.

"Never ever call me that again," she growled under her breath. _»Damn that made her even hotter. God, what that woman does to me.«_

"I know what I do to you Pyro," she said lifting up her head to stick her tongue out at me. Her bad mood already forgotten, I gave her a loving kiss on the lips, before wrapping my arms around her even tighter.

"Sleep well, honey." I felt her smiling against my chest before her breathing evened out and she slept again.

**my mom is so weak xD she got me last sacrifice so i'd stop getting on her nerves... and it's awesome...so far...still a bit to read though...**

**remember... reviewers will have a little appearance in the beginning of the coming chapter... **

**i don't own anything... except the plot yada yada yada**


	11. Chapter 10

**so my friend is gone... my baby boy isn't ill any longer... **  
**and here's the next chappy for you... and it's a long one... 3,629 words...**

**thx to **  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
**cuteorama (especially for your awesome cuteness :):) love to talk to you) **  
**unnz4**  
**vampirelover081**

**thx for reviewing, you guys are awesome :):) keep it up **

~ chapter 10 ~

RPOV

It's been two and a half months now since Chris and I got together.

Lissa and I still weren't talking, but it doesn't bug me any longer, after she made a move on my man a month ago.

~ Flashback ~

Dimitri and I had just finished my training, when I walked towards my dorm. On my way I saw Christian with his back to me. Wanting to give him a little scare, I walked as quiet as possible, but just a few meters away from him I stopped like I got struck by lightning.

In front of him was Lissa and they both seriously leaned in to kiss each other. Opening up to his feelings – I had just learned how to block his thoughts and feelings out – I felt dizzy and confused. Getting an idea of what was going on, I walked around him and pushed Lissa away from him so she fell to the ground, hip first.

"What the fuck Lissa? Why did you just kiss him?" She smirked at me and gave me a weird glare.

"He loves me, that's why. You were just a bit of fun for him, but he always loved me."

My frown turned into my famous death glare and then I turned around to look at Chris. I softly lay my hand on his cheek before speaking.

"Are you okay, my love," I asked him, worry lacing my words. He lightly shook his head to come out of the trance, the compulsion had caused. Finally he fixed his eyes on me.

"What's going on, Rose? What just happened?"

"You kissed her," I stated like it was obvious, while pointing at Lissa. "But don't worry, I know it wasn't your fault. She used compulsion on you. I just don't know why it worked so well. Normally you aren't affected by common compulsion."

He got angry, when he looked over my shoulder at Lissa, who was still sitting on the ground rubbing her hipbone.

"If you ever do something like that again," he growled, "I swear I'll destroy you, no matter your Dragomir title or that you're in for the throne. If you ever do so much as come close to us again, I'll kill you."

Lissa stared at him, mouth open and eyes wide not knowing what to say. Her eyes were widened in fear, when she really registered the meaning of his words.

Chris looked at me again, his unspoken apologies clearly transmitted through his eyes.

"I'm sorry, honey. You know that I don't love her anymore. Just you. Only you," he whispered desperately, not knowing how I really took the kissing thing.

I gave him a peck on the lips and then looked into his beautiful blue eyes, mostly to really drive the message home.

"I told you it's okay. I know what happened and it wasn't any of your doing, not willingly for that matter."

With that I took him by the hand and led him to the feeders, leaving a still shocked Lissa behind.

~ End of Flashback ~

Right now I was in the gym training for my finals. In the past weeks it became a routine for Christian to watch me train. After Lissa kissed him, I always wanted to have an eye on him. Not

that I didn't trust him, it was her who lost my faith.

She wasn't my friend any longer. She's just the girl , who always thinks of herself. It doesn't matter to her, who she hurt or what she or anyone lose because of that. She's just thinking of herself, typical Royal behavior. Maybe I should get her to hook up with Adrian, since he's not the slightest bit better. Although he learned something – he didn't came close to me or Chris, he didn't even visit me in my dreams. He keeps his distance and that I'm thankful for.

After he's written me a letter – yep, shocker, I thought the same thing – I'm close to forgiving him. He apologized for his behavior at Court and actually wished me the best for my relationship with Chris. He said that if he couldn't have my love he at least wanted to have my friendship. And I actually was willing to give that to him.

Chris was okay with it. "I want you to be as happy as possible and if that means to have Mr. Too Drunk To Care around on a regular basis, then I'm okay with that," were his exact words to me.

I just pinned Dimitri to the mat for the third time, when he scratched his neck in a slightly uncomfortable manner. He cleared his throat before he began to speak.

"So, uhm, any idea yet for your compulsion problem called Vasilisa?"

We told him what happened the other day, but we plead with him to stay out of it. So much for him being uncomfortable.

"Not really, no. Why?" I answered, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Okay, cause I was thinking," - so far nothing new - "and you said normal compulsion doesn't affect Chris?" I nodded and signaled for him to go on. "So what about if another sort of compulsion would? Let's say, maybe another Spirit user would be able to compel him."

I looked at him dumbfounded. _»__He can't seriously mean that Adrian... No, Ivashkov couldn't have done that.__«_He told me he was happy for me and Christian, so why would he do something that would most likely lead to our break up?

Then it hit me full force. He said he loved me. He waited months for me to go out with him and when I finally agreed he screwed some bitch, before even taking me out on our fucking first date. And being the stuck up Royal he is he'd do anything to get to me, though I don't see the logic behind all this. Why would he get me if I break up with Chris? That makes no sense at all.

"Rose, you ok?" I heard Dimitri's worried voice while he waved with one hand in front of my eyes.

"Yeah, everything fine. Great actually. What do you think? How much does a just healed nose hurt if you break it again? Will it be better or worse than cutting his balls off?" I noticed, that my voice had dropped to a dangerous whisper. My eyes slowly met Dimitri's intense stare.

"Fuck! I knew I shouldn't have told you. Listen, don't do anything you'll later regret." Did he really just swear in English?

He tried to calm me down, but noticed soon that it wasn't really working. I felt that huge rage building inside me – don't even ask me where that came from – and my mind told me told me to go to Adrian and give him some piece of my mind. Or a meeting with 'hospital' and 'graveyard', two of my best friends, commonly known as my fists.

"Listen Comrade, I know it's stupid, but he tried to get me to break up with the man I love more than my own life." At that Chris shot me a weird look and in his eyes I could see a trace of... hurt? What the...? I turned to him and stated "Really Chris? I mean you, Silly."

My eyes fell on Dimitri again. "I'll try my best not to hurt him, but yelling like my mom on one of her trips could scare him to death. Seriously, I just want to understand the logic behind his actions." He looked at me a moment longer, probably doing his 'I-know-you-better-than-the-back-of-my-hand-thing' to see if I was lying. Doing my best to hide my anger I stared at him defensively. Finally he gave in and dropped his hands, which somehow found a way to hold me by my shoulders during the last minutes.

"Just don't do anything stupid Roza. We don't want to get you expelled so close to graduation, do we?"

I nodded and took a step away from him. I looked at the clock, hoping to find a way to change the topic and there it was. Simple and easy.

"Oh look Comrade. Training is over, we better go. I'm hungry and have some stuff to learn. Exam in Guardian Theory tomorrow. Don't want to piss Stan off, not more than usual. Come on Chris, you're going to help me."

Chris got his stuff and followed me to the commons, where we filled our trays with some pizza and brownies. We were just about to sit down at our table, when I saw Adrian walking towards us. I nudged Chris with my elbow and signaled for him to follow me. We looked at Eddie and Mia apologetically, said we would eat in my room and learn for our last exams.

Without sparing him another glance I brushed past Adrian and felt no need to apologize for bumping into his shoulder pretty hard.

Up in my room Chris and I forgot our food and our studies and instead lay down on my bed, me cuddling into his side and him holding me as close as possible.

"What are you planning to do to Ivashkov for pissing you off," Chris suddenly broke the silence. I thought about it. Hard. One probably could see the wheels turning.

"I honestly have no idea," I answered after a few minutes. "I think I'll just go and talk to him. I mean, Dimitri is right, I would get expelled, if I would punch him and anyone would find out. I can't risk becoming a Guardian because of him. But..." I broke off, not sure what he'd think of me if I'd tell him about my true feelings.

"But what?" He patiently waited for an answer, while playing with a loose strand of my hair.

"I can't tell you." I closed my eyes, not wanting to let him see how scared I actually was. He slightly pulled away from me to get a better look at me.

"What is it, Sweetie? You know you can tell me everything. No need to be afraid."

"Actually, I am. Of what you'll think of me."

"Why should you be? You're THE Rose Hathaway. You're not scared of anything. You're my girl and I love you, no matter what."

I took a deep breath. I knew that he wanted to help me and I trust him, so why not tell him?

"Okay. You win. When Dimitri told us about his idea earlier, I started to feel such a huge rage against Adrian. I have that feeling that, I don't know, I need to hurt him. Or worse. You know that I never ever would hurt a Moroi. Let alone kill him or her. Not even Queen Bitch herself. But when Dimitri told us, everything clicked together. Why Adrian would have done this. I just can't understand his logic. But right then I felt like nothing could stop me. I felt the urge to go to him, torture him til he dies. How could I even think something like that? I'm a monster Chris. I'm trained to protect Moroi, not torture them til they die."

Whereas I looked into his eyes all the time, now I dropped my gaze unable to see what he would think of me. I mean, I just said about myself, that I'm a monster. How on earth could he love me?

"It's okay Sweetie. Look at me. You don't need to be ashamed of what you're feeling. I don't know what let you think those things, but we'll figure it out. You won't hurt Ivashkov. If you want I could go with you, when you go to talk to him. I won't let you down, you don't have to do this alone."  
"Thank you Chris. How did I ever deserve you," I asked in a low whisper.

"Not the slightest idea," he chuckled. Damn Vampire hearing.

"I mean it. Thank you. But I think I have to speak to him on my own. I swear I won't kill him or even hurt him. I'll just talk to him."

With that I got up from my bed and walked over to my door.

"You know, if you won't let me come I'll just stay here and wait for your glorious return." He smirked at me, while leaning on his elbows to get a better look at me.

"Whatever Pyro. Love you. Later," I called over my shoulder, shutting the door behind me.

Making my way over to guest housing, I ignored everything and everyone, especially the tall Russian who followed me for five long minutes, calling out my name. I feel like there will be extra laps in the morning waiting for me. Just great. Not.

Standing at Adrian's door I began pounding on it in an unsteady rhythm, the noise growing louder and louder with every knock. After a while a very groggy looking Adrian opened. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you Mr. Hangover,´.

Raking a hand through his messy hair, he opened his sleepy eyes, which widened in surprise when his remaining brain cells registered who I was.

"Little Dham-," he started but I interrupted him.

"Cut the crap Adrian. I have absolutely no time for this. We need to talk, meaning I ask you a question and you'll answer. And don't even think about lying. I want the truth and you'll give it to me, otherwise I have two good friends, who want to get know your face."

Staring at me with fear in his eyes he let me into his room. Walking through different empty Vodka bottles and stuff that looked like Campari I found his couch and flopped down on it.

"Sit Ivashkov. No cigarettes, no alcohol." He did as I told him and looked actually sober all of a sudden.

"Anything for you Rose. Whatever you want." I waved him off and avoided his eyes for a brief moment.

"So... Ivashkov..." I trailed off. Where to start? "Recently compelled someone?"

He looked at me shocked but quickly avoided his eyes and seemed very interested in his carpet.  
"Really? Is that an actual question?"

"Yes it is, moron. Now answer," I said in a serious tone.

"Kirova, Petrov, Alto, that Yuri guy, Eddie, Zeklos, Sarkozy," he tipped them off at his finger tips, but looking at him I knew he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Spill it Ivashkov. You know exactly which compulsion I was asking for!"

"Okay, yeah, no need to shout. I compelled Lissa. Happy now?"

"Not exactly. What about Chris? Have you compelled him over the last three months?"

"No..." Somehow he dragged that one word out to an unknown length. Seeing my glare he cleared his throat and spoke again. "I didn't compel him, not exactly. I just charmed a ring of his, which Lissa gave to me."

Then I registered his words from a few moments earlier. "Wait, what do you mean you compelled Lissa?"

"I thought you knew. I thought that's why you're here. Anyhow, I compelled her a long time ago. Actually the evening after Ozera and you told me about your bond. I let her be jealous of the two of you."

"You said you charmed a ring from Chris. How did you charm it? What did it do to him?" Please, he's not about to say, what I think he is.

"It made him kiss Lissa. She was compelled to do everything to get you to break up with him. When I told you I'm happy for you I lied. I'm jealous. He gets the most beautiful woman out there, just because I fucked up once. I wanted to get you away from him. I thought that if you broke up with him, because of his ex, you'd come to me, cause you always talked to me about your problems. Not like you did with Belikov, but you did. That's actually pretty stupid, but that's how I think. I know I screwed up."

"Yeah you did, majorly. Tell you something. You just destroyed every chance of us becoming friends anytime soon. Go on, what else have you done?"

"Nothing, I swear!" He raised his hands in a motion like he surrendered to me. "I compelled Lissa to get jealous of the two of you. And I charmed Ozera's ring. I saw your auras. I saw your feelings for each other from the first moment I met you. I saw that you're in love of some sorts and that made me crazy. I wanted you to love me like I love you. I still want that. It hurts me to see you happy with with Christian. He's not good for you. All these rumors about him will destroy your reputation sooner or later. Do you really want to risk your career for a Strigoi in the making?"

I looked at him like he just smacked me in the face.

"You didn't! You didn't just go there! You know exactly that he won't turn Strigoi! It doesn't destroy my reputation when I'm with him! Shall I tell you why? Cause there is no damn reputation to destroy! Have you forgotten all the rumors about me? Even your stupid great-aunt knows about them and doesn't respect me as a person, let alone a soon-to-be Guardian." Through my little rant I began to scream at him and got up from the couch to pace back and forth in front of him.

"You say you see me aura. Then tell me what you see when I look at you. Cause right now I know that I hate you. I feel pity for you. You said you love me. But how am I supposed to believe you?

If you'd really love me you would have accepted that I am with Pyro. You would've wanted me to be happy. But you walk around and compel my best friend to destroy my relationship. You destroyed my family. Because of your fucking mind games my sister hates me! I was the only family she had left.

I will be her guardian in two weeks. Tell me how I can do my work properly, when she hates me and makes my job probably that much harder to do? I don't even want to be her Guardian anymore, because of you. But I can't change it cause it was the last wish of her parents, and I respect their dying wish. They wanted her best friend to protect her daughter.

Because of you I can't let my boyfriend out of my sight, without thinking that Lissa will turn up to take him away from me.

But you don't care about that, do you? You just care about your lazy ass and that you get what you want! In order to get me to be with you , you destroyed my most important friendship and nearly my relationship with the one I truly love."  
I was in his face by now and felt the familiar feeling of tears burning in my eyes. My sight got blurry with my next words. "Why couldn't you just be happy for me? You were such an important person over the last few months. But from now on you're dead to me. I hope you're happy Lord Ivashkov. Like it was said before. You lost me without even having me. And it's all your own fault.

I turned around to walk out his door, when he got up and grabbed my wrist to hold me back.

"Please, Rose, don't go. I'm sorry. I'm ashamed of what I did okay? I love you and I want to be in your life. I can't lose you. You're my rock. Since I met you Spirit doesn't affect me as much as it did before. I'll go insane without you in my life."  
I stared into his pleading jade green eyes. I knew he meant it, but I couldn't forgive him.

"Sorry Adrian, I really am. But you made your bed, now lie in it. I can't and I won't help you. Not for destroying my family. I can't even look at you right now, without hating you."

I was just about to turn away again, when he suddenly grabbed my chin and and forced me to look at him.

"You'll forget what I've done. You'll forget your feelings for Ozera. You'll love me. Kiss me." When he finished I started to lean in. Blinking I got aware of what just happened. I shoved away his hand and yelled at him again.

"Seriously Adrian? Compulsion? Have you lost any sense of good and bad? Let me go!" He let go of my wrist without hesitation and this time he didn't stop me, when I walked to his door.

I felt a lone tear trail down my cheek when I looked at him one last time.

"I could have loved you Adrian. I was willing to try it. But your actions proved that you're not worth it. I'm happy with Christian and you should accept that. I'll never be with you. I don't think that I can forgive you for that."

I stepped out of his room, slammed the door shut behind me and made my way back to my dorm and to my boyfriend.

**so my laptop had five 'mental' breakdowns today... forgive me if the next chapter needs some days again... my laptop seems to hate me -.-**  
**AND**  
**i haven't even done any christmas shopping yet -.-"" my baby boy is going to hate me if he doesn't get a proper christmas eve **


	12. Chapter 11

**next one as promised to my lovely reviewers :):)**

**shout-out to...**

**vampirelover081**  
**unnz4**  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
**vamp-academy-luvr**  
**cuteorama**  
**kaeleighOZERA (especially for reviewing twice in one day :))**  
**Moonchilde (would've thanked you via PM too, but it's disabled)**  
**HellgirlAngel**

**I want to cuddle you for your awesome reviews... but i can't :(  
maybe better... it could lead to unwanted reactions like gasping for air, blue lips  
yada yada yada... **

**if there are any mistakes in spelling or else i'm sorry... my keyboard declared war against me -.-**

~chapter 11~

RPOV

Chris and I sat in the commons for lunch next day. We just had our last written exams. Guardian Theory in my case and I had a pretty good feeling about it.

The evening before I had told Chris about Adrian's intentions. First he couldn't believe me, that even Ivashkov would go that far, but in the end he had a look on his face, that looked suspiciously like he wanted to say 'I-told-you-so'.

We ended up learning all night so that there wouldn't be the slightest chance I could fail Stan's class.

I had just finished my food when I felt someone staring at my back. Turning around I met a pair of

pale green eyes in a delicately featured face, framed by blond hair. Watching her for a few moments I waited for her to do something. Getting no reaction out of her I turned back around and stared at my tray.

_Maybe I should just go and talk to her, since nothing of it was her fault. _How I never noticed, that she had been compelled was beyond me.

When I got up and took my tray, I felt Chris' eyes on me. _»__Where are you going, honey?__«_ I heard him in my head.

"Just to my next class. It's my last one in this hell hole, have to make the best out of it." With that I gave him a quick peck on the lips and went off to my class.

Sitting in my usual chair – left corner in the back – I waited for the other students to arrive and the teacher. No idea who leads that class. Normally it's Yuri's class, but seeing that it's our last class anything is possible.

Just before Alberta and Yuri walked in Lissa took the seat next to me. As you know we haven't talked in weeks and I have no idea what to think of her change of attitude. For all I know, she hates me to bits.

Suddenly there was a crumbled post-it on my desk. Hesitantly I picked it up and looked at it, like I've never seen a post-it before. I opened it, only to see Lissa's handwriting.

**Hey... We need to talk. Please. L. **

That's... surprising. I took my pen to write a reply.

**What about? Why now? R.**

I crumbled the paper again and threw it back on her table, watching her eyes when she read my answer. What I saw surprised me – sadness and regret.

A few seconds later the paper found it's way back to me. From the corner of my eyes I saw Dimitri shaking his head at me, a small smile tugging at his lips.

**Adrian visited me last night.**

I gaped at her, shocked and confused. What in God's name had he told her? Had he destroyed everything that Liss and I had ever shared?Maybe I should've killed him. Stupid Ivashkov and his trouble making.

Ignoring Dimitri's gaze, I leant over to Lissa.

"After my training, right before dinner. My room. This better be worth it." My tone was harsher then intended, but seeing what I've been through over the last months, although it wasn't her doing, I couldn't be entirely nice with her.

Dimitri cleared his throat, getting my attention like he probably wanted.

"What?" I whispered at him. He shook his head again and pointed to the front of the room, where Alberta and Yuri were standing, trying to get the classes attention. Soon we quieted down and looked at them expectantly.

"So, now that your exams are out of the way and you never have to do homework for one of us again, I'm happy to tell you that your last day of school is nearly over. Soon you'll be in the real world and make your life. And I wish you all the best for that. I just have to make some final announcements to make.

The Novice's practicals will be in two weeks from now on. I expect each and everyone of you to train as best as you can.

The day after your practicals you'll be given your Promise Marks and you'll get your assignments.

In the evening of your trials the Moroi students have to attend a meeting with the Queen. It will be held as a banquet and test your political and social skills.

The coming two weeks are for you to practice for whatever you have to attend to, be it the trials or the banquet, therefore no classes, as you already knew.

Now to the good part. Three days after your assignments you can attend to the final dance. It will take place in the gym, it's been taken care of food and drinks.

And finally, two days after prom your vacations will start and you'll leave St. Vlad's.. Now enjoy your last few weeks here."  
Alberta gave us all a warm smile before turning to the door and opening it. But instead from stepping out she turned to us again.

"Class dismissed. And please, just this once. At least wait til tomorrow with all your parties."

When she was out the door, the room erupted in cheers. We piled out of the room, Chris already waiting for me in the hallway, when Dimitri tapped me on the shoulder once.

"No training today, Rose. You go talk to Lissa. Knowing you you'd be in a horrible mood right before dinner. Better do it now, than trying to kill someone in the process."

I stared at him, mouth open and eyes wide.

"You read the note AND eavesdropped? That was personal Dimitri!" Yeah, I should be talking.  
He grinned at me. "I know, but seeing that I'm your mentor and your friend I wanted to know what's going on. The two of you haven't talked in months and suddenly you're conversing via neon-pink post-it notes. I was curious."

"I rub up on you way too much Comrade. Bad boy, see you tomorrow," I called the last part over my shoulder, walking away with Chris.

Getting to the Moroi dorms I let go of his hand and walked away from him, without saying a word. Through the bond I felt his confusion towards my sudden disappearing. I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket – not exactly an easy task in tight-fitting jeans – and proceeded to write a text.

**Have 2 talk 2 Lissa. C U dinner. 3**

I walked to my room, writing Lissa to come to my room now, She called, letting it ring twice before hanging up to let me know, that she would be there.

Sure enough, when I opened my door five minutes later Lissa sat at my desk obviously waiting for me. I really should start to lock that fucking door.

"Sorry, Rose. I just thought... you weren't here yet and your door was unlocked. You know you should really lock it. Anyway, I thought I could just wait in here."

"It's okay Liss." No harm done. You wanted to talk, so talk. What happened with Adrian?"

She looked at me seemingly not knowing where to start and maybe a little stunned, that I wasn't at her throat for being in my room without permission. Finally she took a deep breath and started to tell me what Adrian told her. As it turns out, he tried to fix everything. He freed her from the compulsion. She still remembered everything, but she regretted whatever she said or did over the past few months.

"I never was jealous of you Rose. Okay it hurt,when I saw the two of you joking around, not just from the compulsion, but I never would've done what I did because of Adrian. If the two of you are happy, then so am I. You are – or were – my best friend. Your life as a Guardian will be hard enough, so I'm happy that you found someone, especially after Mason. And I swear I will NEVER in my life do anything to get you to break up. You know I actually developed some serious feelings for Aaron. And you know what he's like. He's not like other Royals."  
Still somewhat stunned by her words I simply nodded my head. She was right, Aaron was a good guy, and they actually were a cute couple before we ran away.

"That's good to hear Liss. You have no idea how good. I'm happy for you and thank you. It really means a lot that you approve of Chris and I. And honestly? I missed you so much."

"Missed you too. And I'm sorry, for what I did to Chris. Your words back at Court were so true, because of my actions I lost everything that was ever important to me. "  
"None of it was your fault. Not everything. I'm sure Adrian didn't compel you to make out with Aaron." And once again, being stupid Rose Hathaway I realized to late what I said. I slapped my hand over my mouth and looked at her with wide eyes, shocked about myself. To my relief Lissa chuckled at my statement and shook her head. "No he never did that," she said, "but what he did wasn't good either." Her pale green eyes showed nothing but anger for Adrian and his actions. No surprise there.

Without knowing it we talked for nearly three hours and by then it was time for dinner. While talking we had catched up about what has happened over the last weeks in every little detail. When she spoke about Aaron she had the same spark of happiness shown in her eyes, that I had when I talked about Christian – yes, people actually were telling me how happy I looked by only mentioning his name – and I felt that she was truly happy for me. Man had I missed my sister.

We were on our way to dinner when she turned to me, again with sadness in her green eyes. "There's something else I need to tell you Rose."

Oh god, what now? Was everything that happened in the last four hours just a sick joke or what?

"Okay," I said hesitating. "Shoot."

"I'm sorry Rose, but you won't be my Guardian after graduation," she rushed out in one big breath. I looked at her for a few minutes, not moving. Well, not moving if you don't count the movement my mouth made without permission – opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.

"What?" I suddenly all but yelled at her. "Why?" Calmer this time and just half as loud as before.

"Queen Tatiana,"she sighed."I'll get completely different Guardians. Some of her own. She said I'd deserve the best so I get four Royal Guards. I told her that I wanted only you and Dimitri, but she wouldn't listen. I'm really sorry, but maybe this will cheer you up..." she said, trailing off in the end. What could possibly make me happy right now? I can't fulfill her parents last wish. That's like not talking bad about dead people – an unwritten rule, you just don't break it, no matter what!

"What is it then," I sighed defeated, not really wanting to hear it though.

"I managed to get you Chris as your Moroi. This all happened just before the attack. I meant to tell you right after, but then Christian told us you died and everything went down-under. I thought since Chris and I would move in together, well you get the picture. Anyway, you'll be Christian's Guardian."

Again I just stared at her before jumping on her and squealing in delight. Sure I always wanted to be Lissa's Guardian, but now I got to be the Guardian of the one I love. That's just awesome. Note to self: Stop sounding so damn sarcastic to yourself.

"That's great Lissa. I know that we always wanted to be together, but let's face it. Queen Bitch never liked me, especially since I was 'dating' the one unworthy to mention. I never would've become your Guardian as long as Tatiana is Queen. You're her jewel. I would've destroyed you. But now I can live with Chris. We all know how much he would hate life at Court and I'm not better in that matter. I would've sulked like it was living in hell itself. We can still see each other for holidays or so. And if you don't invite me to your coronation I swear I'll kick your ass all the way to Russia in one swift motion."

I gave her one of my most honest smiles, one that just my closest friends get to know, and winked at her.

"Is that a threat? Don't want to threat the Queen's jewel, now do we?" She laughed at our mock seriousness and in turn I gave her a mock bow, before looking back up at her.

"You know my dearest Princess, that wasn't much a threat as it was a promise." We smirked at each other before starting to walk again.

Dimitri was right, I was starting to get all cranky and I needed my food _now_. As in _pronto_.

**hope you liked it...**

**so today is christmas eve... just 14 hours til i have to go to church... then gifts *-* then dinner with the family... and then a week to write on my story... **

**so i wish you all a merry christmas and enjoy the time with your family :) **  
**I'll update as soon as possible... **

**don't own it... only the plot...yeye... **


	13. Chapter 12

**next one :) big thank you to **  
**unnz4 (also for reviewing my one-shot) **  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
**vampirelover081 (again... i want an UPDATE!)**  
**Natasa Ozera (for reviewing twice again :))**  
**cuteorama**  
**jadiie123**  
**Mizuki-chan Uchiha **  
_**AND **_  
**vamp-academy-luvr for reviewing my one-shot **

**also a big thank you to everyone who has my story on fav and/or alert **  
**and who has me as author on fav and/or alert **

~ chapter 12 ~

CPOV

I heard their laughter before I even saw them. I turned in my place to see my ex and my girlfriend walking into the commons, Lissa's arm linked with Rose's. Well, that talk must have been good.

I was happy for Rose, she obviously had her best friend back. I just didn't know how to react towards Lissa. It was one thing to know, that she was jealous of her boyfriend and her sister, because of a drunk, but it was something entirely different to know that she betrayed me on her own accord. She knew I loved her, I told and showed her often enough and yet she cheated on me, cause I cared for the feelings and problems of her best friend.

On the other hand I may still be with her, wouldn't she have cheated on me with Aaron. And I wouldn't be with Rose now. I always thought Lissa was the love of my life, but what I once felt for Lissa is nothing compared to what I feel for Rose. I would give everything for her and do anything she asks of me. Yeah, I'm whipped. But to be with a woman like Rose every man on that planet would be whipped. When she walks into a room every man's eyes are on her. When you see her you seriously just want to drool like a teething baby. And guess what?

I'm the lucky ass who can call her his girlfriend. I'm the one who can worship the ground she walks on – and it wouldn't even seem that crazy, looking at a body like her's. Goddess is only one word to describe her.

I was pulled out of my reverie by a tickling sensation on my cheek, followed by a warm feeling in my hand.

"Thinking about worshiping me again," Rose asked me with a smirk on her lips.

_»__Damn you and your mind-reading__«_ I replied in my head, knowing very well that she would get the message along with a mock glare from my side.

"I told you it's not mind-reading Chris. Not my fault that you're a perfect transmitter. I mean you're like an utopian radio-station. Nothing interferes with your signals." She glared back at me. No wonder since we talked about this like one hundred times and more.

_»Point taken. Still, it can be a serious pain in the ass« _Rose gave me an apologetic smile.

"I know and I'm sorry for it, but I can't keep my walls up when I'm too excited."

"Tell me about it," I mumbled remembering some of our more intense moments. Let me tell you, it's so not funny, when your girlfriend stops kissing you, cause you sucked her into your head. After that I learned to have my own walls to block her out and it's really not easy to keep them up.

"See, you know what I mean. At least you don't pull me in anymore. It's weird to kiss yourself," she smiled a teasing smile at me.

_»So what got you so excited honey?«_

"Nothing special. Ever heard the beautiful word 'surprise'? You'll have to wait til graduation." She grinned again, probably thanking whoever is up there for letting me not be able to read her mind.

"Really guys? Could you stop that? It gives me a headache," Eddie groaned while flopping down at our table. "Chris can't you just speak out loud? It's like you gossip about us in Rose's mind, she's just too nice to say it out loud."

"Right, Eddie. Rose being too nice. Where were you the last months?" Shouldn't have said that judging by the elbow that made it's way right into my stomach pit.

Rose leaned in, so that she was close to my ear. I could feel her breath tickling on my neck, when she whispered "No kisses for the rest of the day Pyro. Another comment like that and it'll be a week."

She leaned away again, smirking at my face. I might have looked like she just told me I would be the next ruler of our society. I mean come on, only suggesting something like that should be forbidden.

"I'm sorry honey. You know I love you. It's just that little voice in my head. It let's me say stupid things. You know what I mean."

"Ya, I know. My voice even has a name. I call it Christian." Everyone at our table chuckled and that was when I first realized that Lissa was sitting with us, Aaron next to her. When did they get here?

"You two are so sweet, you're a perfect match," Lissa gushed. I just looked at her, not saying anything, instead I concentrated on Rose's hand in mine.

"Hey Chris, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for what I did. I shouldn't have cheated on you," she suddenly blurted in a sincere voice.

"Uhm... yeah... it's... okay... I guess. Thank you," I stuttered. Since when did I stutter? I cleared my throat, gripping Rose's hand even tighter in mine. "Cause of you I found my precious flower."

Lissa gave us both a warm smile and I got the feeling that she really was happy for us. It wasn't actually a feeling, more like the sudden knowledge. Like the air around her was tinted in her happiness for us. Sounds like the aura stuff Ivashkov always talked about. But shouldn't I see colors then? Huh, whatever, back to the present.

"You guys heard about the dance," Mia broke the awkward silence and just like that our girls erupted in girl-talk. What their dresses should look like, which shoes, what kind of jewelry and so on. I mean seriously? What do they need to talk about? It's just putting on a dress, picking some plain shoes and that's it.

"It's not that easy Pyro and if you want to see me in a nice dress you better shut off your thoughts."

_»You could just put your walls back up.«_ I smirked at her, the smirk she always wants to punch from my face. She turned a light shade of red before hanging her head.

"I can't. I'm still too excited about your surprise."

_»It must be good then?«_

"It is," she whispered, blushing even more, "at least in my opinion. I have no fucking idea what you'll think of it."

_»I'm sure I'll like it, now go on talk with the girls, I'll be at the feeders.«_ Rose gave me a nod and a small peck on the cheek in return.

I stood and walked off to snack on Alice, an elderly human. She may be a little weird, but she's actually a nice woman when she isn't too high of our endorphins.

Soon after I gave the Guardian my name I got called to Alice's booth.

"Christian dear, how have you been? How is Rose today" she asked in a slightly slurred voice.

"I'm good. Rose too, Vasilisa and her are talking again." I answered gently, knowing that smalltalk always calms her down before a bite.

"That's good to hear. You're lucky to have her, she will make you very happy soon. You'll see, you'll be surprised." And here comes crazy Alice.

"I'll keep that in mind, Alice," I whispered into her ear, before biting down on her neck and giving her a new high.

I was still thinking about what Alice had said earlier when I was walking towards my room. Turning around a corner I saw a figure sitting against a wall, it's breathing the only indication that the person was still alive.

I walked over to see, if I could help – yes, despite what everybody thinks of me, I'm actually capable of helping – when I recognized the familiar smell of clove cigarettes. Great. I just had to be the one to stumble upon the drunk. Way to ruin a good day, especially after what I learned about him last night.

I was just redirecting my steps, when he called out to me. Okay, slurred is more like it.

"Hey Ozera! Come here a moment." I reluctantly walked over to him and stood, looking down on him and waiting for him to continue.

"You lucky bastard. You got the girl," he said.

"No shit Sherlock, I know that I have her, anything I don't know yet?"

He gave me a sly grin in return, that gave me the feeling that this couldn't be good.

"Did she tell you, that she kissed me last night? It was good man, like dying and going to heaven." What the fuck? Why would he say that? Hadn't he done enough already? I was just about to answer him, when he went on.

"I wonder what fucking her would be like... Care to share that info? I mean, you and your little blood whore must go at it like rabbits right?" That filthy little...

"Don't you dare talking about her like that. Rose isn't anywhere near being a blood whore and you know that! If you ever lay your eyes on her again, I swear..." I could hear the threat in my words, but wasn't too sure that he would understand what I was implying.

"Come on Ozera, just let me fuck her once, then you can have her all to yourself." I didn't even honor him with an answer to that, instead I pounced at him and hit him square in the jaw. I heard the sickening crack, when my fist collided with his face and couldn't stop the smug smile spreading over my lips.

"You feel that Ivashkov? That is nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you ever come near her again. You really must be insane, if you think you can have Rose in any way you want her inside that sick head of yours. She is my girl and she'll never be with you got that?" I yelled the last part, before I felt two strong hands grabbing me by my upper arms and pulling me away from Adrian.

"Christian, what do you think you're doing" I heard Belikov's voice asking me. "What is it with you and Rose to always break that idiot's face?"

We stopped near a fountain and he looked at me waiting for an explanation. I looked to the ground while my mumbling my answer.

"He said all those things about her and I just lost it." I waited for his yelling – like they say 'Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off Russian' – but it never came, instead he chuckled and shook his head.

"You two seriously have to learn a better self-control. You can't just walk around and break everyone's face, whoever pisses you off." He looked at me sternly when I nodded my agreement.

"Maybe you should train with me and Rose, since you're already with her in her trainings."

That stunned me, I never would've thought that Dimitri would offer me to train with them. Seeing-that he's a Guardian and should protect my race. On the other hand, he's a friend of my aunt, a sort-of big brother to my bad-ass girlfriend and he has seen me using my magic defensively.

"Uhm, thank you Guardian Belikov, I'd like that." I answered in a sincere voice. He looked at me for a moment, thinking about something, before grinning widely at me.

"Really Christian? You're Rose's boyfriend and your aunt is one of my oldest friends, I think it's save when you call me Dimitri."

"Okay, Dimitri. Man that's weird. Just promise me one thing. Please say we don't go and do each others nails, cause we're on a first name basis now." He laughed out loud at my words.

"Awe, Chrissie, I thought you're my BFF now and we could do all those awesome things."

And that's how you render me, Christian Ozera, speechless. Did the stern Russian seriously just make a joke? Dimitri must have seen the look on my face, cause he laughed again.

"That was a joke Christian. Man, I'm not a girl." He shuddered, probably thinking of doing all that girl stuff to himself.

I answered him in the typical Ozera-way. "Says the one with shoulder-length and perfect hair. The girls words. Not mine."

Dimitri chuckled again and gave me a clap on the shoulder.

"You should go find Rose, she's probably already organizing a search party for you."

It was my turn to chuckle, when I turned towards Rose's room.

When I opened her door her reaction to me was rather unexpected.

RPOV

Chris opened the door to my room and as soon as he closed it I was on him, tears streaming down my face.

"Please Chris, you can't believe him. I never kissed him. He tried to compel me to a kiss, but I shook it off before anything happened. You have to believe me okay? Please."

Yup, I was so shaken up that I wouldn't let him tell me what he was smiling about. Til now. He gently caressed my cheek and I leaned in to his touch. I closed my eyes for a brief moment when I felt his lips on my forehead. He pulled away and looked me deep in the eyes.

"I know honey. I know you didn't do it. He's just an idiot, who thinks he can get and do whatever he wants. You got pulled in again right? How much did you see?"

"Everything from when he called you until the part about me kissing him. Then I got out and got my walls back up." He gave me one of his smirks I liked so much – yes, he actually has different smirks, the one I want to punch away and that one – and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Then you missed the best part honey. I broke his jaw for saying those things about you. I wanted to punch him again, but Dimitri pulled me away and now I'll train with you. Like really sparring and everything, not just watching.

And all I could think was _'Man, you just missed your lover how he broke the jaw of an insulting asshole.'_ I gave him a passionate kiss, forgetting my earlier threat and just thanking him in the best way possible I had in that moment.

**hope you liked it... **

**HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE... wish you all the best for everything you want =)**

**disclaimer... don't own it... again... won't change **


	14. Chapter 13

**yes, i'm bad... i'm a day late... you can hate me... **  
**but see it that way... i'm just a day late... not a week... or a month... **

**shout-outs to... **  
**cuteorama (thx for reviewing both stories :))**  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
** unnz4 (love your story 'Letters to a Stranger')**  
**vampirelover081 (i'm not going to kill myself any longer :D)**  
**jadiie123 **  
**you're awesome... just so you know :):) **

**you should totally read 'King of the Fairies'... it's a great story written by southernrebel96... i love this story *-***

~ chapter 13 ~

CPOV

It's actually good, that you usually graduate from high-school just once, cause damn, this ceremony was as boring as watching your grandma knitting your next Christmas present.

I had totally zoned out for pretty much the whole thing and am quite sure Rose had done the same thing, as always. It's moments like these, when I feel sorry for her that she'll become Lissa's Guardian, cause then she'll have to attend many very boring and more than uninteresting meetings with the Queen.

At the moment I don't even know how our relationship will play out, when she goes with Lissa and I'll move away with Tasha. She will still feel what I feel and can check up on me by popping into my head, but I can't use something like the bond. She'll be with Lissa all day and there will be the time-difference. I haven't told her yet. I'll move to Russia with Tasha **(AN: xD that rhymes... sorry...)** We wanted to get away for a while, cause we've been stuck in America ever since my parents turned Strigoi.

I will be on the other side of the globe, while my girlfriend and therefore my heart stay here. Right now I don't even know how to tell her, how shall I live without her?

I decided to tune in for a moment, just so I knew when the hell I could get out of here. That was exactly the moment when my girl was called to the stage. What I heard next was like a punch to the face – a really good one. I know that doesn't make sense, but that's me, I don't make sense.

"Rosemarie Hathaway," Guardian Petrov called her name and then her scores. She was valedictorian amongst the Novices, not that big of a shock regarding her skills. But this was:"You'll be the Guardian of Lord Christian Ozera."

A shocked gasp filled the air. An Ozera with my history – meaning my parent's decision – gets a Guardian. The best actually.

My first thought was something like_»Creepy Guardian says what?«_ and I saw Rose chuckling on stage. Next I know, I feel utterly shocked and don't know how to react. I listened to the girl I love vowing to protect me with her life and that she'd do anything to keep me from harm.

But... I was the guy right? I was the one who should protect her, wasn't I? I looked up to see her smiling at me.

And then, when Kirova finally let us go I did the probably most stupid thing anyone could ever do in a situation like this. I ran. As fast as I could. I ran away from her and our friends, away from anything. In the end I found myself in the front of Aunt Tasha's cabin. I walked in and flopped down on the couch.

I did my best to block Rose from the bond, just wanting to be alone for a while.

So this was her surprise? She would be my Guardian? I had to watch her when she is willing to risk her life for me? I couldn't let her do that. Or if I would, I would help her with my magic, least I can do.

I had to see her die once. I can't do that again, it nearly ripped me apart the first time and back then we weren't even a couple. I may have saved her once, but who am I to know if it'll work again? I wouldn't be able to think straight would she die, let alone heal her again.

I want to be able to protect her and I would do anything to keep her save. Only question left – would she let me protect her?

My mind was quiet for some minutes, before it started rambling to itself again. It started with _'What the fuck?' _and ended with _'How for fuck's sake am I supposed to live with a girl?'_

I'll have to move in with Rose. We were a couple for three months now and we would have to live together. I ever lived with only one woman – Aunt Tasha. Living with family is entirely different to living with your girlfriend.

And how on earth am I supposed to tell her, that we'll move to Russia in a few weeks? She gets angry enough when Dimitri curses in Russian, how would she deal with living amongst people who speak Russian all the time?

_At least she'll get the chance to learn some Russian swear words_, I thought with a smirk on my lips.

What seemed like hours later I moved to the bed and fell into a not so peaceful slumber.

RPOV

It's the day of the dance and the gentle giant aka Dimitri just woke me to get me to Lissa. Being me I didn't want to get up and being him he simply grabbed my covers, ripped them off of me and emptied a bucket of cold water on me. When I opened my eyes to give him an extra evil death-glare he graced me with one of his rare smiles and said with a very sarcastic tone "Oh, you're awake. What a coincidence. I just wanted to get you, so you can meet up with Lissa."

"Stupid Russian mentors who can't let me sleep," I mumbled under my breath, getting off of my now soaked bed and walking into my bathroom to take a shower. That was when the worrying started.

_Where is he? I'm his Guardian for not even twenty-four hours and already lost my charge. _

Yesterday we got our assignments and I haven't seen Chris since he stormed out of the hall, where our Graduation ceremony was held. He was blocking me from the bond ever since, therefore I had no fucking clue where on this damn campus he was.

I just hope he shows up for the dance, cause he's my date and it looks pretty poor when all your friends have a date and yours is absent.

I got out of my shower and pulled on some black sweat pants and an old shirt with Cyrillic writing on it, that I got from Dimitri the night of the attack charm – the Russian just had to have the brilliant idea to hold onto my dress when I wanted to punch him and ripped it off of me in the process. Might have fueled the rumors about us having a relationship.

Anyways, we walked over to Lissa's room and he left me alone when I knocked on her door. I heard her and Mia exclaim a loud 'Finally', muffled by the wood and couldn't help but to think '_Girls, you know me, I'll even be too late for my own funeral.'_

Lissa opened the door and gasped in shock. What now?

"Do I have something on my face," I asked, worriedly touching my face. Suddenly I noticed that I hadn't even had my breakfast ritual – getting as many chocolate glazed donuts as possible. Ah, hell.

"God Rose, what happened to you? You look awful!"

Really? That bad? I actually thought everything was okay after my shower.

"I mean, look at what you're wearing! Couldn't you chose some even uglier clothes?"

I smacked my forehead with my right hand, looking at her disbelievingly.

"Seriously Lissa? This is your problem? I though I might have a giant pimple on my forehead!" I whisper-yelled at her.

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish smile. "But you know me and, come on. We have prom tonight, and you start the day in this?"

Damn that fashion police. I rolled my eyes at her and finally stepped into her room, giving Mia a hug before turning back around to Lissa.

"You're right. It's prom tonight. I have an awesome dress, equally awesome shoes and wicked cool hair for Mia and you to do with whatever you please. And I have no frickin idea where my boyfriend is, since he disappeared yesterday. But hey, I'm wearing ugly clothes after being woken by a huge Russian and a bucket of ice-cold water. Trust you to pick the smallest of my problems." I started to feel immensely angry again, but I knew it wasn't Lissa's fault. "Sorry, Liss," I said putting my hand to my forehead. "I'm just worried about him. What if he doesn't want me to be his Guardian or if he doesn't want to live with me? He was completely shocked to hear that I'm his Guardian. I thought he'd be happy, that I can stay with him, but obviously he isn't"

My shoulders sacked and my head literally hang low.

"I know Rose, but he will get it and you'll see, he'll be uber-happy to have you as his Guardian. You're the best. He should feel honored. Now, stop worrying, smile and let's start getting ready."

I realized that Mia was quiet throughout our exchange and she didn't seem like her normal perky self.

"Hey, Mia what's up," I asked putting an arm around her shoulders.

"It's just... Somehow I can understand Chris' behavior. I mean, Eddie is my Guardian – good that I graduated early. I love him and I love to move in with him, but try to understand what it will be like, to watch the person you love the most, risk their life for yours. At least Chris could heal you, if anything would happen to you. Imagine what I'd go through if the man I love would die for me and I couldn't do anything. You know Christian better than anyone else. He isn't the one to stay out of a fight, especially if you're the one fighting and maybe even in need of help."  
I looked at Mia like her hair was on fire. Here I was worrying about my lover and the girl who hasn't even have a bond with him gets his problem.

"I'm the worst girlfriend ever," I groaned, smacking my forehead again. "I mean, you understand what he's going through. I'm his girlfriend and bond-mate and had no clue. Okay, I got some weird emotions at the end of the ceremony, but how should I have known what's going on? He knows that I've trained for this all my life. I'll have to talk to him," I said, standing up and walking over to Lissa's door. Only problem, I was stopped by Lissa's ridiculously tiny hand on my wrist, trying to pull me back. What are the chances of her never having understood the part of the story where Dhampirs are way stronger than Moroi? I gave in to her anyways.

"Stay Rose. We have to get ready for the prom. He'll probably be there. The two of you will have a beautiful night and tomorrow you can talk about your issues okay? Besides, didn't you say you had no idea, where he was? Now do as your friends say or I'll go all 'mighty future Queen' on you. Understood?" Never knew Lissa, sweet pure Lissa, could be somewhere close to scary.

So we started getting ready. I put on my dress first. A beautiful black dress in pin-up-style, a violet little bow right under the chest and like a corset in the back. It went down to my knees and was tied in the neck. My shoes were some purple satin-high-heels and my hair was loosely curled. Mia put some light-purple eye-shadow on my lids and some clear lip-gloss on my lips. Standing in front of the mirror I could only think how great I actually looked.

Lissa was wearing a floor-length light pink dress glistening with little crystals all over the fabric.

Mia's dress was a light blue, matching her blue eyes, and as long as mine.

Damn, we looked hot, if I may say so.

We were done for about five minutes when there was a knock at the door.

Lissa and Mia were greeted by Aaron and Eddie. And me? I was greeted by none other than the hunky Russian. Guess I was right, Christian didn't want me. What other reason was there for not showing up? Mia gave me a look as if to tell me 'He'll come, you'll see.'

_'But will he?'_ is the question burning in my head while linking arms with Dimitri.

CPOV

When I woke up again I was completely disorientated. Rubbing my eyes free from sleep, probably looking like a child, I saw that I was in Tasha's cabin. Right, I came here after Rose was assigned as my Guardian.

It was still dark outside, so I dragged my feet to the door and went to my room.

Close to my dorm I took in my surroundings and saw some of the students that graduated with me in dresses and tuxedos. Please, whoever listens, tell me I haven't slept through a whole day!

Rushing up to my room, to find my damn cell and check date and time, all I could think was _'FUCK! How for the sake of Christ have I slept for twenty-four hours?'_ I mean, that can't be possible right? Rose will kill me when she finds me.

She's probably over at Lissa's getting ready. I finally found my cell and checked the time. Great. We were meant to pick up the girls in ten minutes, and I hadn't even showered yet. So I did the only thing, that possibly could save my life – grabbing my phone and writing a text to Dimitri.

**Hey... could u pick up Rose in ten? I know I'm in for hell itself. Pls just do it. **

Checking the message again I wondered when exactly I became nice enough to say please.

I was just pulling off my pants, when I got Dimitri's answer.

**Better be there ASAP, R looks like she wants to either break down or break a face... again. Hurry!**

_'No pressure at all'_ I thought stepping into my shower and turning on the warm water.

* * *

**hope you liked it :) **

**i'm so frickin sorry, if the next update takes a bit... i'll try to make it ASAP... but i have a date coming sunday... my best friend is celebrating his birthday next week... my own bday is coming up in 40 days (not that i'm counting ;)) and i'm adopting a vampire diaries story... and last but not least... my stupid asshole of a laptop still has his breakdowns and a major system problem... **  
**I'LL TRY TO WORK AS FAST AS I CAN :):)**

**now review my lovely honey bunnies :)  
(yes... sorry... i just talked to you like i talk to my son :))**

**don't own it... probably better since i was totally disappointed by the way rose and adrian were over... may not seem like it in my story, but i actually really like him :)**


	15. Chapter 14

**FINALLY! here it is... the next chappy... **  
**and i think it's time for**  
**a moment of silence for a dear friend of mine *cough***  
**frogster aka my crappy lappy is in heaven... **  
**yes he's dead and i have to use my mom's for the next weeks -.- **

**thanks goes to...**  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
**unnz4**  
**sunayna4sho**  
**cuteorama**  
**vampirelover081**  
**Zoey the shadowkissed Emo Wolf (i freakin love this name xDD)**  
**jadiie123**  
**HyperGirl95 (hope you like this one too :))**  
**vamp-academy-luvr **

~ chapter 14 ~

CPOV

With tie in hand I made my way over to the gym. Hopefully Rose wasn't too angry with me. Argh, who am I kidding? We're talking about Rose.

I wasn't even through the door, when I saw her standing near the refreshments. She was probably blocking the bond, cause there was no indication that she knew I was there. _'Or she's just angry with you and doesn't want to acknowledge you' a little voice in the back o_f my head whispered to me. Stupid bad conscience doesn't make me feel better. Yeah, I know that it's the concept of bad conscience to make you actually feel bad.

"Hey honey," I said in a small voice, but knew that she heard me.

"Don't honey me, Pyro," she spat before turning and walking away from her. Yep, definitely angry.

_Shit_ I cursed loudly in my head.

Believe it or not, I stood there for ten minutes, maybe even longer, just staring after her and thinking what I could possibly do that she'll talk to me again.

RPOV

Stupid boys that think it's enough to come and say 'Hey honey'. I mean he saw me, even without being able to check some stupid bond he must have seen that I'm pissed right now.

Dimitri wouldn't tell me where he was, just that he would be there soon. Then he shows up and acts like nothing has happened. He walked out on me, blocked me from the fucking bond, leaving me all worried for a whole day. He better thinks of something – quick.

I turned around to look where he was and saw him still standing where I left him, looking like he was thinking really hard. Let me tell you, I love that guy, but he can look so ridiculous when he thinks about something. I nearly laughed out loud, before I remembered where I was. No need to get everyone's attention that early in the evening.

I never averted my gaze from him for the following ten minutes. He really stood there for nearly twenty minutes, thinking and not seeing me, though he looked straight at me. All of a sudden he shook his head and walked away.

I didn't see him again, until five minutes later my hot boyfriend turned up on the stage, next to the DJ's booth, mic in hand. Oh my god, what is he doing?

CPOV

I had still my purple tie in my right hand, when I walked up to the DJ's booth to ask him if he would help me out for a moment. When I stood in front of him I was met by Yuri's gray eyes. Huh, who knew the Guardians had a sense of good music. Okay, thinking of Dimitri. Forget what I said.

Yuri watched me for a moment, then his eyes fell on the tie in my hand before going back to look at my face.

"What can I do for you, Lord Ozera?" I flinched at my formal name, but if Yuri saw it he didn't acknowledge it. I have my reasons to hate that name. Stupid royal titles. "Not able to knot your tie or can't you find your better half?" Stupid Guardians with their so not funny jokes.

"No Guardian Romanov**(AN/ no fucking idea if that's right... same with his eyes)**," I answered, "no help with the tie needed. Especially not from you. You'd probably try to strangle me to death with that thing." I taunted, thinking back to the one time I 'accidentally' set him on fire. Rose is right. I do that way too much. He just snorted in response, before turning serious again.

"What is it then, that I can help you with Christian?"

"I need help to get Rose to talk to me again. She's majorly pissed off at me, I can't even apologize to her."

"And what exactly is it, that you thought of?"

"I need the mic for a moment, so I can talk to her," he gave me an amused smile at that, "yes, it'll be embarrassing but I need to do this. After I'm done and she hopefully forgives me I want you to play our song." I told him which song that was and he checked if he had it in his play-list. He nodded after some moments and gave me the mic. He immediately turned the music down and everybody turned to look, what was going on. Spotting me, some people groaned, others – like my friends – watched me curiously. I cleared my throat before lifting the mic to my mouth. Please, someone just shoot me here and now.

"Stop groaning guys! I know you just want to dance, drink, party and whatever you're doing under the tables, but I have to get this out. Rose, honey, I know you're still here and I know you're listening. At least I hope so, cause I won't repeat myself, cause everyone here hates me more than they already did right now and it may be possible that I threatened my own life while talking to Guardian what's-his-face over there." I was interrupted by a few chuckles here and there, before I could continue.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything I did in the last," I checked my watch quickly, "twenty-four hours, thirty-six minutes and fifteen seconds. I'm sorry for running away, yes people I said I ran away," I reluctantly added when some of my fellow students snickered at me. "I should have let you in and told you what my problem was. I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to see my side of everything." Jeez, ever tried to talk about a bond without actually talking about it? Let's just hope Rose really listens and understands what I mean. "And I'm so so sorry for not being there to pick you up and sending the Russian to get you. I had my reason to be late. It's a really bad and really embarrassing reason, but I'll tell you if you talk to me again. I can't stand you being angry with me," a round of 'awe' and 'sweet' was heard. Crazy girls and their cute talk. "Besides, you know I'm too stupid to knot a tie on my own. I love you honey, please talk to me again."  
Then I heard her voice above any other noise in the room. "Beg for it, Pyro." I could literally _hear_ her smirking at me.

"What? Wasn't that embarrassing enough for one night?"  
"No. Now beg for it or you'll have a really long period of time ahead of you without me being close to you." She smirked at me, knowing very well that I was completely whipped. I walked down to her, mic still in hand and got to my knees in front of her.

"Whipped," someone in the crowd coughed in a not so subtle way.

"Maybe, I like to call it 'Lucky Bastard'," I answered with a cocky grin towards Rose. "Please, honey. I beg you to take me, though I make many mistakes. I'll try to be a better boyfriend. Pretty please with cherry on top?" I can't believe that I'm on the ground, on my knees, hands clamped together and a damn pleading tone to my voice. But the result was worth it. She awarded me with a breathtaking smile, snatched the tie out of my hands and pulled me up to my feet. Being Rose Hathaway she gave me a slap on the chest before talking.

"Don't ever do that again or I'll kill you with my bare hands." She looked sternly at me while working on my tie. "All forgiven my love," she said, when she was done with the knot.

Another round of 'awe' followed, when she gave me a soft kiss to my lips. That girl is simply amazing.

She intertwined her fingers with mine and I pulled her towards Yuri.

"Thanks man." He smiled at me and Rose, when I handed him the mic.

"Anything for Rose. Can't have her throwing a tantrum tonight." Rose glared at him, but let out a low chuckle.

"Damn you Yuri. You know very well that I've changed in some ways." Yuri smiled again and nodded.

"You're right, you did. At least a bit. We'll miss you Rose, you know that right? We know each other since forever."

"Ya, since you brought me to Kirova after I chucked my book at that stupid teacher. You never threw me over your shoulder again."

Damn, did everybody know her since her childhood? I just wish I could have met her back then, Rose smiled at me.

"You have me all to yourself as long as I'm your Guardian. Doesn't matter you never knew me back then, probably better," she said with a chuckle.

We bid our goodbyes to Yuri and walked to the dance-floor. Rose turned to me, put her arms around my neck and looked me in the eyes.

RPOV

I put my arms around his neck and looked into his beautiful blue eyes.

"I love you Chris. And I'm sorry that I was angry with you. I should have known how you'll feel about me being your Guardian. I should have told you earlier." He chuckled and shook his head at me.

»It's alright honey. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I should have talked to you. We're okay now, right?«

"Right. And now, let's enjoy the night, okay?" He nodded and pecked my lips.

I was about to kiss him again, when suddenly our song started. U make me wanna by Blue. I smiled a wide smile up at Chris, knowing he did this and thanked him with a sweet kiss. He leaned down, so that his lips were close to my ear and started to sing along, like we always did.

**You know you make me wanna...  
You know you make me wanna...**

**To start if off I know you know me,  
To come to think of it, it was only last week  
That I had a dream about us, oh  
That's why I'm here, I'm writing this song,  
To tell the truth you know I've been hurting all along,  
Someway let me know, you want me girl**

**Everytime you see me what do you see?  
I feel like I'm a poor man and you're the queen,  
Oh baby, you're the only thing that I realy need,  
And baby that's why...**

He pulled away and looked me deep in the eyes. The bond was open and I could feel everything that he was feeling for me. I smiled again and my voice joined his singing the chorus.

**You make me wanna call you  
In the middle of the night,  
You make me wanne hold you  
Till the morning light,  
You make me wanna love,  
You make me wanna fall,  
You make me wanna surrender my soul.  
I know this is a feeling that I just can't fight,  
You're the first and last thing on my mind,  
You make me wanna love,  
You make me wanna fall,  
You make me wanna surrender my soul. **

His eyes full of love, were watching me like was his goddess. I nearly melted under his intense gaze.

**Well I know that these feelings won't end now,  
They'll just get stronger if I see you again,  
Baby I'm tired of being friends, oh  
I wanna know if you feel the same,  
And could you tell me do you feel my pain?  
Don't leave me in doubt.**

**Everytime you see me what dou you see?  
I feel like I'm a poor man and you're the queen,  
Oh baby, you're the only thing that I really need  
baby that's why...**

Again I joined him, though I couldn't see him clearly, cause of the tears in my eyes. I knew that he loved me, but I never really understood the true range of his feelings. How could somebody, anybody love me that much?

**You make me wanna call you  
In the middle of the night,  
You make me wanne hold you  
Till the morning light,  
You make me wanna love,  
You make me wanna fall,  
You make me wanna surrender my soul.  
I know this is a feeling that I just can't fight,  
You're the first and last thing on my mind,  
You make me wanna love,  
You make me wanna fall,  
You make me wanna surrender my soul. **

That was when I knew I was ready to give him everything I could. I wanted to show him how much I felt for him. So I started to sing the one part of our song, we never sang before.

**I'll take you home real quick  
Sit you down on the couch,  
Pour some Dom Perignon and hit the lights out,  
Baby we can make sweet love, oh  
Then we'll take it nice n slow,  
Gonna touch you like you've never known before,  
We're gonna make love all night. **

Chris stared at me wide-eyed. And for once his mind was completely blank.

_»Are you... Do you... Did you just suggest, what I think you were suggesting?«_ He asked my in our minds. In his eyes I could see his lust for me building up. Just to tease him a bit I bit my bottom lip and looked up to him through my eye-lashes, knowing very well what it did to him.

Slowly I nodded my head, not blinking. His lust took over and he grabbed me by the hand and started pulling me towards the door.

"Stop, Chris. We should tell our lovely friends that we're leaving."

He turned around, an annoyed look on his face.

_»Okay, but really fast. Or I swear I'll do things to you nobody wants to see. Right here, middle of the dance-floor.«_

I quickly walked over to Lissa and Eddie, telling them I wasn't feeling well and that Chris and me were leaving. They were a bit stunned at my hurried and sudden goodbye, but let me go. Back at Christian's side he started to pull me towards the church on campus.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you leave your prom after merely an hour instead of being there an entire night full of dancing and drinking.

**i actually have no opinion on this one... i'm not sure whether i should like it or not... anyways... hope YOU liked it... let me know... review my lovely honey-bunnies (yes, i'll keep calling you that)... next chappy will be up on friday or saturday... at least i hope so... and i have written another one-shot which will be up around the same time probably... **

**as usual... not mine... **


	16. Chapter 15

**here it is... sorry if it's bad i wrote it while experiencing a bit of a  
writer's block... hate those -.-... and sorry about changing POV's that often...**

**for the person who was against the lemon... you might as well skip this chapter... since it's mostly the lemon and it seems i can't find the right place to mark it for you...**

**thanks goes to **  
**And Pidgeons Fly354**  
**vampirelover081**  
**unnz4**  
**cuteorama**  
**vamp-academy-luvr**  
**HyperGirl95**

**love you guys :):)**

_as for the anonymous reviewer... learn some manners -.- seriously? needing 15 chapters to think my story just went stupid... when you don't like it give me some intelligent criticism and not something like that... -.-"_  
_as from now on anonymous reviews are disabled... _

* * *

~ chapter 15 ~

RPOV

As soon as I realized where he was taking me I changed directions and lead him towards my room. Good thing I cleaned up, when I was worried about him last night.

"Uhm, honey? Where are we going," he asked wondering.

Right in front of my door I finally answered him. "I'm not going to sleep with you for the first time in a place, where you did it with your ex. Now come in or I might have to change my mind." He quickly stepped into my room, closing and locking the door in one swift motion. In that moment I couldn't help but to admire the fast movements of a Moroi.

When he looked at me again I could see love and desire written all over his face. And I realized something. I never told him, that I was a virgin. He never persisted on going further than making-out. He was content with everything, after I told him that I wanted to wait a bit, not wanting to rush into things.

I went over to him, pecking him on his perfect lips. "I love you," I whispered wrapping my arms around his neck. "Love you too," he mumbled against my lips, before kissing me gently. He led me backwards to my bed, where I fell down, when the back of my knees collided with the mattress.

He smiled down at me, before lying down, turning his head so he could look at me.

He propped himself up on one elbow, letting his other hand wander off to my stomach and drawing lazy circles on it.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" I giggled – yes, giggled, a very weird sound coming from me.

"No you haven't. In fact you haven't said anything about my looks tonight. But thank you. You look very handsome yourself."

He pulled away form me, giving me a mocking hurtful look. "Just handsome? Not great or devastatingly sexy?"

"Course you look sexy. Why wouldn't you? I mean, look at you." Before I continued I pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips. I bent down, so that my mouth was close to his ear. "Look at you," I whispered before kissing his neck lightly. "Your body in that tux," kiss, "your hair," kiss, "your beautiful eyes," kiss, "and your perfect lips," kiss. I looked him straight in the eyes before looking at his lips. "You have no idea how much I love those lips," I whispered in a husky voice.

During a very passionate kiss, he flipped us over, so he was lying on top of me.

"Same applies to you gorgeous," he said smiling before bending down. "My friend," kiss to the cheek, "my mate," kiss to the forehead, "my lover," kiss to the corner of my lips, "my beautiful goddess," another very passionate kiss.

"Possessive much," I asked when we finally broke apart to get some air.

"When it comes to you? Yes, very much so," he smiled again. "You're mine and I want to keep it that way for a very long time." My heart fluttered at his words.

I just wanted to say something when his lips met the skin on my neck and his fangs lightly grazed over my pulse point. I let out a small moan and felt him chuckle against my heated skin. He repeated his action once more, before he slowly started to undo the knot at the back of my neck.

He pulled me up into a sitting position, when his hands wandered down to the corset of my dress. I was straddling his hips again and could feel him growing against my inner thigh.

I started to unbutton his shirt painfully slow and nearly ripped off his tie, somehow getting impatient with the damn knot I had made earlier.

While letting my hands wander down his well built chest, the top of my dress slowly drifted downwards, leaving my chest with only a lacy black bra. Working on the last button of his shirt, his arms encircled my waist and pulled me as close as possible.

I kissed him again, when his hands slowly wandered to the hem of my dress, pulling it over my head and dumping it somewhere in the room.

CPOV

I slowly pulled her dress over her head and felt myself smile, when I heard her groan at the loss of my lips on hers. I laid her down on her back, pulling away to admire her beauty.

_»You're perfect. I cant believe you're mine.«_  
"All yours, as long as you want me," she whispered back, pulling me down on top of her.

I held myself up with both hands on either side of her head, so I wouldn't put all my weight on her.

She confidently pushed my shirt over my shoulders, getting rid of it, like I did with her dress before.

Her hands were sliding down my naked chest, down to my belt. She undid it and pushed my pants down as far as she could, until I shoved them off on my own.

I was about to kiss her, when she flipped us over again and started kissing down my neck. She gently bit into my shoulder, getting a moan out of me.

Rolling us over once more I kissed my way from her neck down to her breasts. Undoing the front clasp of her bra, I lightly sucked at her pulse point again, before making my way down to her perfectly formed breasts.

RPOV

Chris started to twirl his tongue around one of my nipples while one of his hands massaged the other breast, I felt him heating it up a bit, before pulling away and breathing some air right onto it.  
At this point I wasn't able to form any coherent thought, let alone form sentences or words, so I sighed and moaned in pleasure.

When he switched sides I was lightly frustrated by the loss of his contact and expressed myself with a loud groan.

"Patience honey," Chris chuckled against my skin. I groaned again, a groan that turned into a moan, when his lips met my skin again.

A few minutes later his lips started to kiss down over my stomach, to the hem of my panties. He pulled them down, ever so slowly, his lips trailing after his hands.

After he threw the panties across the room, he kissed his way back up over my legs, avoiding the one point where I wanted him the most.

CPOV

"Chris, love, stop teasing," Rose let out in a ragged breath.

I chuckled again, loving the effect I had on her. Not able to deny her any wish I kissed my way to her center, gently kissing it before licking over her clit.

Rose moaned again, tangling her hands in my hair, keeping me in place. I let one of my hands slide over her bare leg before grabbing it and placing it on my shoulder, getting better access to her wet folds. Her hips started bucking against me, only held down by a hand of mine on her stomach.

Wanting her to come I inserted a finger into her, letting her moan loudly again.

RPOV

I couldn't believe what he could do with his tongue. He let his tongue flick over my clit again and again, every now and then grazing it with the tip of one of his fangs. I felt one of his fingers enter me, adding a second one only a few seconds later. I let out a loud moan, though I felt lightly embarrassed for being literally dripping wet.

He moved his fingers at a steady rhythm, still licking over my clit, when I felt my muscles tighten around him. I moaned and panted his name when I felt the tip of his tongue at my entrance, licking away all of my juices. _»God, you taste so good.«_ he said through our bond and I felt myself blush.

He trailed soft butterfly kisses from my thighs, over my stomach, my breasts to my lips where he kissed me sweetly. Our tongues met, tasting myself on him, turning me on even more.

I moaned into his mouth and instantly felt him harden some more against my thigh.

My hands trailed down his chest to his boxers, pulling them down as best as I could.

After finally getting rid off the last barrier between our bodies, my hand made it's way again, til I was stroking his hard member.

CPOV

Rose had just gotten rid of my boxers, when she lightly and maybe even a little hesitantly started stroking my dick. She made me moan, just like I did her before. I couldn't think of anything else, than her hand and it's motions.

Any coherent thought in my mind just flew out the window, when I heard her whispering.

RPOV

"I want you in me, my love." In his eyes I saw that he wanted to take that step as bad as I wanted to. He leaned over me for a brief moment, grabbing a condom from my nightstand (when did that get there?).

He gave me a kiss full of love and passion, while positioning himself at my entrance. During the kiss I braced myself for the pain that was bound to come. And boy did it come.

CPOV

I started pushing myself into her, slowly but still with a certain force behind it. When I was nearly completely buried inside of her, I heard her sharp intake of breath, forcing me to open my eyes to look what it was. A lone tear trailed down her cheek and she was shaking lightly. This couldn't be her first time, could it?

I softly kissed her cheek, trying not to move and cause her any more pain.

"Honey, look at me," I whispered softly. She slowly opened her eyes, letting me see the beautiful brown orbs I loved so much.

"Honey, is this your first time," I asked her in a whisper, curious about the answer.

She nodded lightly, giving me a small smile, before I kissed her lips. "Sorry about the pain, I didn't know, I would've been more careful had I known."  
She shook her head at me. "Don't be sorry my love. I just wanted it to be with the one I love more than my own life. I'm glad you're my first."

I couldn't believe it. I was her first. I never thought anyone could love me so much, to actually give me something a girl keeps so dearly.

I just looked at her for several minutes, not doing anything until she started moving against me. I was still hesitant in my movements, not wanting to hurt her again.

"Please Chris. I want you, all of you. Just let go, you won't hurt me," she whispered right into my ear before kissing my neck and shoulder. So I did. I started thrusting into her, picking up my pace every time she told me to. Just a few moments before my orgasm could take over I stilled my motions and turned my attention to her breasts once more.

RPOV

Chris had just stopped thrusting into me, kissing and sucking my breasts. Looks like he needed a break, but I was so close.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, wanting him to push into me again. Instead of moving deeper, he slowly pulled out of me. Why was he pulling... "Oh my God!" I yelled, when he trusted into me again, deeper then before. He repeated that again and again, driving me close to my second orgasm.

"Fuck!" I groaned when one of his hands found my clit and started massaging it.

CPOV

Massaging her clit while thrusting into her in a fast and steady pace I felt Rose's muscles tighten around my dick. _»Come for me my love«_ I sent her through the bond. She just groaned in response, pushing herself up on her elbows, letting me slide into her even better. I took my hand away from her clit, holding her tightly against my chest while keeping up my pace.

She bit into my shoulder – hard I might add – when her orgasm took over, causing me to come, too.

Riding out our orgasms I kissed her again. I slowly pulled out of her and rolled onto her side, already missing the feeling of being inside of her.

RPOV

I pushed Chris onto his back gently, laying my head on his chest and closing my eyes. Though what we just did was more than perfect and simply awesome, I was tired and wanted to sleep.

"Love you honey, sleep well," Chris mumbled against the crown of my head, stroking the lose strands of my lightly tangled hair. Feeling him trace weird patterns on my back with one of his fingers, I mumbled a "Love you too" and let the darkness consume me.

**how was it? it was bad, wasn't it?... review... make me happy my honey-bunnies :) **  
**this story is pretty much planned out til the end and it will go up to something around 30 chapters just so you know... would love you to give me some ideas for drama that could happen til then :)**

**my new one-shot is up too :) read it if you like :)**

**don't own it... just like the last 15 chapters and it won't change ._.**


	17. Chapter 16

***hides behind books* please don't be mad at me, cause i needed three months to come back to ya**  
**and publish a new chapter... but let me explain myself... as some of you know my 21st bday was in**  
**february... then a friend of mine had major trouble with her ex-boyfriend so**  
**i helped her and then... thanks to her... i met my boyfriend... so i'm happy fo two and a half months now... **  
**i was writing on my very own story, too cause i made the decision to rewrite the entire thing and that's **  
**one piece of work... i have to find a job and i'm applying like... all around the clock...**  
**but finally, with all my stress... i made this... a new chapter for Chris and Rose... **  
**2,875 words on my writing programme... without all my bla bla in this AN... **  
**i can really understand if you don't want to read my stuff anymore, but i**  
**promise that i'll never leave my work on this for such a long time again... **  
**at least not without telling you what's going on, that keeps me from writing...**

* * *

**now to... **  
**...SPECIAL THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS... **  
**cuteorama**  
**.Herondale (sorry... doesn't save the full nick...i have to read your story... couldn't even get to readingin the past few months... sry... )**  
**missa27**  
**AndPidgeonsFly354**  
**unnz4**  
**HyperGirl95**  
**bloodwolfe92 (i know their first time was cliché, **  
**but i would have loved it that way for my first time, **  
**so i gave it to my fav characters... )**  
**sammm-steveee**  
**Zoey the shadowkissed Emo wolf  
****panky95 (thanks to your mildly life-threatening review i'm writing on this again :))  
****dino kid (i know... stupid comma's -.-)**

* * *

**just for you, so you don't have to read the entire thing again... here's what happened in the last few chappies... **  
**our lovey doveys graduated from st. vlad's... chris disappeared for some hours... they had their dance... chris and rose had their first time... which was a bad lemon chapter on my side and i'm still sorry for that... now enjoy this piece of... don't know... i won't call it art if i were you :)**

~chapter 16~

RPOV

The next morning I woke to a light snoring and a warm, steady breath on my neck. Registering that we both were still naked, a smile formed on my lips. I turned around, careful not to wake Chris, and looked at him.

He looked so peaceful in his sleep. A few months ago I'd never thought that I'll ever wake up next to Christian. At least not naked. Maybe in a brotherly embrace, but definitely not naked. Yet, here I was, next to the man of my dreams.

"Rose," Chris sighed, a soft smile forming on his lips. I kissed him and tried pulling away again, when his tongue slid over my lower lip asking for entrance. Our tongues met, both fighting for dominance, before I found the will to pull away. I laughed a little at his cute pout.

"What are you doing honey," he asked, voice still husky from sleep.

"Packing. Don't know about you, but I haven't even started yet." I admitted sheepishly.

"Typical. I can help you if you want. I'm nearly done. Just some of my clothes wait to be stuffed into a bag. Where do you want to start?"

"Probably _we_ should start with getting a shower and getting dressed. Wanna join me?"

He nodded enthusiastically, shoved the covers aside and followed me in all his naked glory.

An hour later we emerged from my bathroom, fully dressed and happy to no end. We got some boxes from Ashley, the dorm matron, and started filling them with my stuff.

Chris was just taking the pictures from my wall, when I realized that I didn't even know where we were moving to.

"So Chris? Tell me. Which beautiful state will we move to? Florida? Texas? California? Actually, doesn't matter. Just tell me it will be warm and sunny."

I literally felt his eyes widen and the lump forming in his throat. That can't be good right?

"Okay, spit it Chris. Where are we moving? And don't you dare telling me we're moving somewhere cold with no sun at all." Through the bond I felt that he was thinking about those things. And something else. Just what I needed.

"You're not going to tell me, that we will move to a fucking arctic wasteland. Tell me we're not moving to the other side of the globe. Tell me please that we're not moving to fucking Russia!"

When I saw Chris flinching I realized that I was yelling at him. But why hadn't he told me earlier, that he planned to move to Russia?

I flopped down on my bed, head in my hands and waited for him to sit down, too. After some moments of silence he sat down, encircled my waist with his arms and pulled me towards him.

"Why haven't you told me before? I'm your girlfriend. Your bond-mate. I should have been the first to know. Would you ever have told me if I had been Lissa's Guardian?"

Again there was a silence around us, soon broken by Chris clearing his throat.

"I would've told you. And I should have told you right the moment I knew myself. But I was scared. I was afraid that you'll think we couldn't be together if I live on the other end of the world. I was simply afraid of your reaction."

I turned to look at him, cupped his cheek with my right hand and looked him dead in the eye.

"Silly. By now you should know one very very important thing. I. LOVE. YOU. I'll never leave you. You're far too important for me and my sanity to leave you. Don't you ever think again, that I'll leave you, cause I won't."

I kissed him as if to confirm my statement, before getting up off the bed again and walking over to my closet.

"I'll better pack the warm stuff then. I can't believe we'll live in Russia. You're lucky I love you as much as I do." I chuckled lightly, but still felt his worry through our connection.

"Come on baby. Stop worrying, back to packing. I'm not angry. A bit sad, cause we'll leave our friends behind, but not angry. I'd really go everywhere if it was for you. And since I'm your Guardian I actually don't have a say in anything. You're the boss."

"I'm not your boss. I think it's pretty clear who wears the pants in our relationship. I'm your boyfriend. You move with me to Russia because you're my Guardian, that's right. But more importantly I want you as my equal. We make decisions together. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about Russia earlier, but Tasha and I want to get away from America for a while. I want to find a home for _us_. I won't buy a house that you don't like. I want a house for _us_ to decorate, for _us_ to live in. Maybe even with a family of our own, some years from now. All of this are our decisions to make. Also... pack your stuff for high temps, too. Dimitri already told you more then once that the climate over there is like ours. And I certainly don't want you to leave these nice dresses behind."

He flashed me a hundred-watt smile before kissing me like there was no tomorrow.

So he really thought about our future, about children. He, a royal Moroi, obviously thought about having children with a Dhampir, me. A little overwhelmed by these new information I got up, cleared my throat a little uncomfortably and walked over to my door.

"Honey, can you do the rest please? I want to make a farewell round."

Chris looked up to me, nodding with a hurt in his eyes I've never seen there before.

"I thought we'd go together as soon as we're ready."

"We can go together then, but first I need a walk on my own. I don't think you want to hear and watch screaming and crying girls. Oh and a crying Eddie of course, cause he'll miss me so damn much."

"That would be worth the screaming and crying actually. But if you want to go alone, then go. We can go together later. At least now I can take a closer look at all your lacy underwear."

I smiled my typical Rose-Hathaway-smile before opening my door and stepping out in the hallway. "Much fun with that, cause these are already packed." Last thing I saw before closing my door was his twitching eye. _»__Why do you always ruin my fun? And don't you dare thinking 'cause you're my girlfriend!__« _Gotta love that bond.

My first stop was Alberta's office. To add some drama to my farewells there wasn't only Alberta, nope. Kirova and Stan were there, too. I mean I love Alberta like a mom, Kirova could be pretty nice for an old hag, but Stan? Stan is an asshole. What did I do to deserve him seeing me saying goodbye to Alberta and Kirova.

When I entered without knocking – of course – the three of them lifted their heads from some plans to look at me.

"Rose what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be packing?" Alberta looked at me curiously with a small smile on her lips, like she knew what I was about to say.

"You're right. I probably should, but Chris is doing the dirty work for me, since he told me just thirty minutes ago where we're move to."

"And that would be where, Rose," Kirova interrupted our little moment. I cleared my throat and looked her in the eyes.

"Far far away from here. You won't have to fear any sudden attack of your beloved Rosemarie Hathaway. I'll be on the other side of the world. Russia to be precise."

All three of them gawked at me, like I grew another arm.

"Stop kidding, Rose. Where are you moving to?" Kirova asked lightly exasperated, like I was trying to fool her.

"Like I told you just a minute ago. Russia. Tasha and Chris want to get away from America for some time. Since I'm his Guardian, looks like I need to follow. No big deal, except leaving my friends and not being able to get on you last nerve." I flashed her a brilliant smile before getting serious again. And – I'm ashamed to admit that – I teared up with my next words and the memories that flooded my mind.

"I'm gonna miss you guys so much. Even you Stan." Alberta and Kirova got up from their seats to hug me, while Stan was standing in his corner of shame and kept staring at me. It seemed like he didn't know whether he should believe me or not.

"Really Stan, I'm going to miss you. I hate to admit it, but except my big Russian you're probably my favorite teacher."  
I actually felt a bit sorry, when Stan looked like he was about to suffer a heart attack. He came over to me, put a hand on my shoulder and watched me for some seconds, before he took a deep breath and started talking.

"I'll miss you too Rosemarie. You'll be an excellent Guardian for Lord Ozera. And – though I always fought with you – I actually really like you. Never tell that anyone. Could destroy my reputation. Now go and see your friends Guardian Hathaway."

And that, boys and girls, was the highly embarrassing moment when I started crying and hugged Stan Alto. I guess he was surprised as me, cause he needed a moment before hugging me back. I never thought that I ever could miss Stan that much. Seems like he wasn't an asshole at all. He actually treated me with some respect just now.

I hugged my former teachers and 'sort-of foster family' one last time before saying goodbye and walking out of Alberta's door for the last time.

Brushing away the tears on my cheeks I walked to the commons to see my best friends one last time on school property.

Stepping through the big doors I was already scanning the room for my friends til I found them sitting in a corner on the left. I got some donuts to calm my nerves before walking over to where they were. Lissa, Mia, Aaron and Eddie sat in silence, merely nodding at me. We ate without speaking for what seemed like hours, but were only minutes.

"I'm gonna miss this," Mia whispered. Nodding in agreement we took a look at our round, like we wanted to remember every feature of our friend's faces. This were my best friends and I would leace them here to go and make a living with the love of my life.

"Come on guys, no need to be so dead serious. We'll see each other at Court from time to time, nearly every day," Lissa said in fake enthusiasm.

"No we won't Liss. You, Mia, Eddie and of course Aaron will. But not me. Not Chris. You all know how much he hates Court, and I'm not made to be a Court Guardian. We all know how bad I am with following rules." They chuckled at that, but still looked like they new something bad was coming. "Besides, I have no idea how often I will see you with all my Guardian duties and... Now listen very well and don't hate any of us – the big move to Russia." To say my friends were as shocked as I was earlier would be an understatement. What was a joke before now became real. My Eddie started crying. With the first tear rolling down his cheek I started tearing up again. I haven't seen him crying ever since Mason died.

"I'm sorry, he just told me today, that we'll move to Russia. The Ozera's want to get away from America for a while. I hate to leave you all here, but what he says counts. I'll visit as often as possible and I'll write mails and send pictures. I promise. God I'm so sorry." By now everyone was crying, except for Aaron who looked a bit uncomfortable. I got up from my chair and went over to Eddie, hugged him tight and whispered something into his ear.  
"Whenever you need to talk, call me. Every time, every day, doesn't matter if it's night or day over there. Call me okay?" He nodded and let me sit on his lap for a bit.

We all sat together like this a bit longer, til I got up and said my first goodbye. I told them that I'd see them at the airport later and left.

Now to Dimitri.

I knocked on his door, impatient as always and just knew that I'd stress him out by simply knocking. Suddenly the door burst open and my favorite Russian stood there staring down at me.

"Roza? What are you doing here? You should be packing your stuff, you know that right?"

"Yes I know, I'm not as blond as you maybe think I am. Chris is doing the last bit for me. I came to say goodbye. We have to be at the airport in five hours and I wanted to see my big brother before I go."

I side-stepped him, walked into his room and sat at his desk. Looking around his room, I saw that it had changed. Much. The only pictures – one of his family and one from our fight during my field experience – were gone, the closet was empty except for his brown duster and a huge bag packed with all his stuff was lying on the bed. I looked at him, knowing he'd see the hurt in my eyes.

"Something to tell me Dimitri? Why is all of your stuff packed up?"

"I'm leaving St. Vlad's. Since I'm no longer your mentor I decided to get myself a charge again. I'm actually moving back to Russia. I know I should have told you earlier, I just didn't know how. But I can come to America whenever I have a break."  
I snorted at that. "Yeah, like you would ever take a break. You're Mister Workaholic, Dimitri. But I'm not mad at you. Why should I? Your work is your life." Dimitri somehow looked relieved at my words, probably cause he knew my mad side. "Besides why would you come to America to see your favorite person on earth? Hasn't she told you, that she's moving to Russia with her boyfriend? She is a bad girl, isn't she?"

Dimitri first looked surprised, then confused and then happy – I think – that I wasn't angry. He started shoving me out the door, still smiling. "I guess we'll see us at the airport then. Now let Mister Workaholic do his work."

I turned around and smiled brightly at him. "You know, you should make that on a shirt." He chuckled, waved at me and closed his door.

When I came back to my former room, Chris was sitting on an undone bed with some pictures in his hands. He looked up at me before studying the pics again.

"I'm sorry for doing that to you. Sure that Russia is no problem for you?"

I sighed and walked over to him, flopped down and leaned in to kiss him softly.

"Do I really have to repeat myself, honey?"

He shook his head before kissing me again. When he stood, he pulled me to my feet.

"Let's go to my room, pack the rest and then it's time to get to the airport."

I sighed dramatically, in response Chris threw me a 'That-doesn't-work-on-me-any-longer'-look and I followed him to the door _very_ slowly. I think my message was pretty clear but Chris kept walking and dragging me behind.

An hour later we were on our way to the school's cars where some Guardians were waiting to get us to the airport.

"I can't believe we're leaving this place. I lived here for like my entire life. And now I'm leaving into a new life."

"We're leaving honey. And see it from the good side – you finally get away from Stan Alto for good."

Okay, better not tell him about THE moment – you know which one.

We got into the SUV after saying goodbye to some of the Guardians and chilled for the next three hours, until Yuri stopped at the airports entrance. While Yuri took care of our stuff we walked over to the group of our friends and their Guardians waiting for us.

Long story short, there were tears, hugs, messed up make up, more tears and some more hugs. After some time Chris brushed away my tears and told me that we had to go if we wanted to get our plane. That was when I had one pretty depressing realization.

"Hey guys," I slowly said "where is Dimitri?"

**how was it? review please... i know you can do it... some of you have proven it earlier... **  
**PROMISE the next chapter will be out next tuesday or wednesday...**

**disclaimer... don't own it... if i would... i probably would have been happier with how last sacrifice ended... at least how adrian and rose ended... the rest was superb... **


	18. Chapter 17

**finally here it is... have fun with it... **

**thanks to... **  
**missa27**  
**cuteorama**  
**panky95**  
**Hypergirl95**  
**thank you guys so much for still reading this :*  
**

~chapter 17~

CPOV

I felt Rose getting nervous. I tried to calm her down but wasn't really able to. We all looked around nervously, trying to find Belikov. When he told Rose he'd be here, then why wasn't he? Dimitri was the most responsible person I knew.  
"Come on baby, we really have to go now. Maybe the car broke on his way to get here. Didn't you say he's going to Russia himself? Perhaps he takes a later flight. We'll meet him over there alright? He's okay. Don't worry he's okay."

I knew she didn't believe me, I could see it in her eyes. But she nodded, new tears forming in her beautiful but sad eyes. We hugged our friends goodbye, waved at the guardians and made our way to the terminal. An hour later we were seated.

Our seats were in the right row, second to last row with three seats between window and aisle.

"I bet you twenty dollars that the third seat will be taken by a very very fat and very sweaty guy, who probably digs his nose as deep as if he'd want to scratch his brain and who snores while sleeping as if taking down a forest. Bet against me?"  
"Please bet against her Christian. I'm dieing to know how you see me."

Rose and I turned around to be eye to eye with a smirking Dimitri. Well, eye to chest. The Russian seriously smirked. Never thought that he actually could do that.

Before I could stop her, Rose was right in front of Dimitri and punching him in the chest. And it looked like it hurt. Good. He got it coming.

RPOV

When I saw Dimitri standing there in all his height I felt a weight lifted from my heart, I didn't even know was there. I moved without thinking and before I knew it any better I was standing in the middle of the aisle and punching my best fiend in the chest. I actually think it would have been his face, wouldn't he be so freakishly tall.

"Where have you been you idiot? I waited for you out there. I was worried sick that something has happened on your way to the airport. You're such an insensitive ass. It's unbelievable."  
I took a calming breath and looked into his eyes. I knew he never intended to hurt me in the first place, but he was like family. Scratch that. He is family, not like my real family, but like the kind of family who takes care of you, whenever you need them. Let's just say I wasn't used to worry about him. And he knew it, that's probably why he stopped smirking our way.

"I didn't mean to scare you Roza. I got here more then on time and one of the flight attendants identified me as one of St. Vlad's Guardians. She asked me to check out board security, cause this is a special Moroi flight. I just did my job."

Now I was the one to smirk up at him.

"Seriously, I'll make you that shirt. Not even when you're a freaking guest on a plane you can't stop working. Damn you Mister Workaholic for scaring the crap out of me. Next time you'll get it much harder, than these little punches."

"I'll hold you to that, Roza. Now let's take our seats, the plane is about to take off." So we took our seats and waited for take off. Just before the plane took off I could swear I'd seen Ivashkov standing next to the strip. But I didn't tell the boys. No need to think about him.

One day and sixteen hours later ~still RPOV

Here we were now. We landed in Russia sixteen hours ago and now we were on our way to Baia, Dimitri's hometown. Dimitri was – of course – driving, Chris had called shotgun and I was sitting in the back listening to the brilliant guys from Avenged Sevenfold.

After forty hours with a western-loving Russian on one side and my boyfriend on the other side, I'd go crazy if I would have to listen to one more word of either guy.

You can't even imagine how relieved I was when I saw the first buildings, I quickly stopped my music and did the one thing Dimitri hated even more than me nonstop knocking on his door. Wait for it...

"Are we there yet?"

"Just a few more minutes Rose."

"Are we there yet?"  
"I just told you -"  
"Are we there yet?"  
"Oh, I get it. You're doing it again, aren't you?"  
"Are we there yet?"  
"Rose, stop it! Or I'll just slow down, so that even a snail will be faster that the car and that, my dear, is a promise. Got it?"

"I just wanted to know if we're there yet, Comrade."  
"And I told you 'just a few more minutes'. See the end of this road? There it is. Now shut up for God's sake!"  
Yes! I still had it. I nearly lost it when I saw the vein on his forehead pulsating like it was about to explode.

"You're lucky that I'm not your teacher anymore Roza. I would kick your butt right into next week."  
"But Comrade. Admit it, you like it."

"No I don't, now shut up or you'll walk the rest of the road."  
"Yeah, cause it's so hard to walk, what? Five hundred yards top?"  
Dimitri stopped the car, got out and opened my door.

"Go on princess. Walk."

Okay, maybe it was his last nerve I stomped on.

"You win Dimka. Now get in and drive. I'll be quiet."

He smiled self-satisfied, turned around and got in again. Turning to Chris I saw him smiling brightly.

"What?" I asked, like nothing had happened.

"Just you. You're awesome. You're the only living person who'd provoke a Russian. Especially someone like him," he said pointing at Dimitri.

"You could have joined in on the fun, you know."  
"Nah. Don't need the Russian's fury on me. I actually enjoy my life and like my bones just the way they are."

"Chicken," I said sticking my tongue out at him.

"Call it whatever you want honey. I like to call it 'caring for my life'."

"And again. You're lucky I love you that much."

"Now that you've discussed that, here we are. Welcome to the Belikov Residence."

We got out of the car (I tried really hard not to go down and kiss the ground below my feet – but failed miserably) and stood there, waiting for something, anything to happen. After a good minute Dimitri sighed heavily, climbed the front steps of the two-story building and knocked on the brown door. A few seconds nothing happened until the shouting started. From outside it sounded like various pieces of furniture got teared down or persons stumbled over one another. Only some seconds later the door was opened by a middle-aged woman. From the picture in Dimitri's room at St. Vlad's I knew that this was his mother, but for the love of god couldn't remember her name (or any of his sisters for that matter).

She came to a skidding stop, taking in the persons on her front porch.

She eyed Chris and me quietly before looking up to Dimitri's face and tearing up. I guess five years of not seeing your son really takes a toll on your nerves. Dimitri bent down to his mother, hugged her and talked to her in Russian. I was just wondering what they were talking about, when Chris began translating for me.

"They are telling each other how much they missed one another over the last few years. Dimitri promises her that he won't leave Baia again, at least not for such a long time. Olena tells him not to promise something but she's happy that he wants to stay here. And finally Dimitri asks her to let us into the house, cause we had a long way and that we're tired. Good god, that would have been my first sentence."

He smiled at me when I slapped his shoulder. When I looked over to Dimitri and Olena again, she let go of him and beckoned us over to them, smiling brightly at us. I held out my hand to shake hers, but she shoved it out of the way and hugged me just like she had done with Dimitri.

"You must be Rose. Dimka told us so much about you. You're like family. Call me Olena."

She let go of me, turned to Chris, smiling just like before.

"And you must be Chris. Tasha is waiting for you inside. Please, boy, go to her. She's driving every single one of us crazy."

So we went inside, greeting everyone while walking by and into the living room. Two sofas, an armchair and an huge beanbag offered a place to sit for everyone in the otherwise small living room.

While we introduced ourselves I saw that Tasha watched me suspiciously. Not really interested in what her problem was, I concentrated on getting interviewed by Dimitri's little sister, Victoria. Turns out I already had fans over here. Couldn't get better right? Okay, it could. But not in the positive way. More in the 'I'm-gonna-kill-you-cause-I-hate-you-right-now'-way. Let me explain that feeling how I got to experience it.

Tasha tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention. And just cause my attention wasn't enough, she cleared her throat and got the room's attention. Had I done something to her? Not that I could remember.

"Rose, sorry if it's rude, but what exactly are you doing here? And where is Lissa?"

I think that in that moment I lost like... every impression my face was ever able to show. To say she shocked me would be an understatement. Chris must have told her about us. I mean, we're an item for three months now. Enough time to tell your aunt about your new relationship right? Or was he after everything he had said to me, ashamed of having a relationship with a Dhampir?

Before I could say anything Chris jumped in.

"Rose is my Guardian."  
At least part of the truth. 'Come on baby, just a bit more', I silently said over and over again, like a personal mantra.

"But what about Lissa? Shouldn't you be her Guardian? The last Dragomir deserves the best." So she doesn't hate me. At last something good. Everybody was staring at me, so I told them why I was here.

"Lissa is next in line to become queen. As such she gets Royal Guards. Though Tatiana loves her and would do probably do everything for her, this was one point that was ' not to be discussed'. In the end she put in a good word for me, so that I could be Chris's Guardian."

"But why? I thought you two hated each other? Why Chris? No offense, honey," she said the last part in Chris' direction, "but Rose deserves much better then guarding an Ozera."

Before Chris could say anything I abruptly got up and stormed out off the room. In the doorway I turned around and looked at him a few seconds.

"Ya know, she's right. Right now I hate you. Maybe even more that Adrian. And you of all people should know how bad that is. I can't even look at you right now." With that I left without turning around again.

I was gone only a few yards when I heard steps behind me. Without turning around I kept walking until the steps became faster, overtook me and I suddenly ran into a wall of muscles.

"Roza look at me." Damn Russians.

"Leave me alone Dimitri or I'll kick your ass."  
"As much as I fear your ass-kicking" he answered in heavy sarcasm, "I won't leave you out here. Not in a town you don't even know. And certainly not in this state. Say whatever you want, I'm not leaving. If you want me to, I'll shut up and won't say..."

Surprising both of us I tackled Dimitri, wrapped my arms around his waist and started crying into his chest.

"Why hasn't he told her about us? Have you any idea how cruel that was? Being speechless in there and called just a Guardian? I know what you're going to say. I am his Guardian, and I really love this, but why the hell didn't he just say 'She's my girlfriend and my Guardian.' Is he really that ashamed of our relationship? You can talk by the way."

Don't even think this little outburst came out like that. It was broken by sobs and Dimitri's hand wiping away my tears.

"He isn't ashamed of of your relationship. I can promise you that. The way he looks at you? Pure worship. You're his goddess. He worships the the ground you move on. Maybe he just wanted to do it in person, when they have some minutes for themselves. Talk to him. I'm sure it's just a mistake."

And then I was out. At least out of my head and right into Chris'. Awesome. Always when I'm angry at him.

**review... hope you liked it...**

disclaimer : son't own it... **  
**


	19. Chapter 18

**hey... sorry... again... i'm a bad author... but i had some serious stuff going on...  
but here it is... sorry again... **

**just imagine i kneel in front of you and beg for your forgiveness... **

**thanks to **  
**And Pidgeons Fly354 **  
**Sarah Odair**  
**cuteorama**  
**panky95**  
**unnz4**  
**missa27**  
**moonlove2527**  
** HyperGirl95**  
**supernaturalNUT**  
**ILoveAndreAndDimka**  
**RayRae97**  
**Xxliz17xX**  
**Vafreak2294**  
**chelly12**  
**my god guys... so many reviews... how could i possibly let you wait any longer without feeling bad o.O **

~chapter 18~

RPOV

When I had found my orientation in Chris' head I could see Tasha right in front of him. They were in a little bedroom, according to the suitcases by the door it was the room Chris and I would be sharing.

"Chris, what was Rose's outburst about? Why was she so angry at you?"

Through the bond I could feel Chris' throat tighten and sweat forming on his forehead.

"Cause I kept something from you, I'd say I can understand that she's angry but I had my reasons and I hope that she'll understand me too."

Hadn't I know better, I would have thought he knew that I was there, that I was listening, pretty much like every other time he had pulled me into his head. I'd really have to work on keeping up my walls.

"Then tell me what you kept from me. What is so bad that it justified such a reaction?"  
"I haven't told you that Rose and I are a couple."  
"You're a couple? What's so bad about being a couple? Okay, knowing you Rose could get someone much better. But why is she so angry?"

Chris tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. Looks like someone feared Tasha's reaction on what was to come.

"Probably cause I haven't told you that we're a couple for three months now?"

Like he knew what was coming he ducked his head. Tasha got up from her seat slowly, walked closer to Chris and smacked him in the head. Just so you know, she would've made every Dhampir proud with that. Chris looked down, rubbing his head where he got smacked and waited patiently for Tasha's outburst.

"So you're a couple for three months and you haven't told me? Alright, that explains her outburst. And why haven't you called and told me that you broke up with Lissa and are with Rose now?"

Christian sighed heavily before looking up at Tasha and telling her his reason.

"Cause some really weird circumstances let us get together."

Tasha rolled her eyes at him before smacking him again.

"Stop stalling Chris. Talk. And I mean everything. Nothing can't be so weird. Not in a way that you can't tell your family about it. Especially not the person who raised you."

Ooh. Parental card. I'd say 'sucks to be questioned by your parents', but actually I wouldn't know.

Once more Chris sighed heavily before telling Tasha our story. She didn't interrupt, just listened carefully.

When he was finished with how we had become a couple, Tasha looked like she was about to faint.

"So you're telling me that Rose died when the school was attacked. That you brought her back from the dead. That you're not a fire but a spirit user. That the two of you have a bond and Rose can feel whatever you feel, hear every single one of your thoughts and you two have no idea what else you can do. Do I get that right?"

Chris nodded his head, again not able to look Tasha in the eyes.

"You insensitive idiot! Rose had to go through all this, and now that she deserves to be happy and probably thinks herself that she can't be happier than when she is with you, you are afraid to tell me about your relationship, cause you think there have been some weird circumstances? Have I really raised you to be that stupid?"

"How should I've possibly known, that you will react this way?"

"You could have tried Chris. I'm not a monster you know. I'm open to stuff like this. I once knew a spirit user myself. He couldn't heal but he was able to do other stuff."

Chris and I were pretty much dumb-founded that moment. Tasha knew a spirit user herself? Could she tell us more about his abilities?

'Concentrate Rose, think about that later.' I scolded myself and concentrated on the Ozeras again.

"Alright I should have told you earlier. Much earlier. I was stupid to fear your reaction. Now I know better. Can you help me now please? Help me to get her to forgive me for my... misbehaving. And tell me about that spirit user you knew. Please."

"You know how you get her to forgive you. Apologize silly. Urm... I don't know if it is the right moment to tell you about him. Rose probably should be there, too."

"I have a feeling she'll know," Chris answered quietly, tapping his forehead.

"Alright. If you say so. But don't ask questions okay? You won't like what I am about to tell you, if you even believe me. The spirit user I knew was part of the family. He was able to use some sort of super compulsion, could compel whoever he wanted. He could enter people's minds. It was like hearing him in your mind but you didn't hear him at the same time you know? He'd let you do whatever he wanted and you couldn't do anything against it. He probably was able to do some other stuff too, but he changed when he met his future wife. He stopped using his gift, saw it as a burden. She herself had never specialized, so I always assumed she was gifted by Spirit, too. Like I already said, he stopped using his abilities, just like she had done only months before. For a while everything went pretty much perfect for them. Soon they got married, bought a two-story house and started to plan a little family. They were the most happy couple I'd ever seen, til they started acting weird. She started crying without any reason, he became more and more aggressive. It went like this until they were married for a bit over two years. And then she got pregnant. They began acting normal again, even looked like the cute couple they've been since they'd met. They had a sweet little boy, they loved him and cherished him and did everything for him just to see him smile. It went well for so many years, they were an awesome little family, but even their little sunshine couldn't save them in the end. They turned Strigoi to escape the insanity that threatened to engulf them. I've only seen them once since then. The day they died."

Because of our bond I could feel Chris' throat tighten once more when his mind formed a horrible assumption.

"Tasha, be honest. What were their names?"

When Chris asked her that question her eyes looked like she was experiencing some serious pain. I could understand why, cause I knew which names she would say.

"Their names were Lukas and Moira," she finally admitted in a tiny voice.

As suddenly as I was in Chris' head I was out of it and back with Dimitri again. He looked worriedly at me but didn't say anything, already knowing my 'black-outs'.

"I have to go Dimitri. Chris needs me. I tell you, that were some news. Come on, we have to get back."

Looking at me like a lost puppy didn't even move a muscle. He looked like one of those Adonis-statues, just not as naked. Though it probably would have been a pretty nice sight.

"Would you please tell me what you've seen? What's happening?"

"God Dimitri I just told you we need to get back. Obviously there aren't any Strigoi around," I said taking in the warm sun. "I have to get back is that my boyfriend needs me right now. He just learned why his parents turned Strigoi willingly."

When I said that, Dimitri quickly recovered from his I-don't-move-a-muscle-state and sort of shoved me in his homes direction.

"Tasha told him why? I didn't even know she knew, she never told me."

"Probably cause it's pretty bad to know why your brother turned Strigoi, just like his wife. She knew Lukas all her life and he became a monster to escape his powers. Call me stupid but I think it must have hurt her like hell that he turned Strigoi, talking about it must be hard for her. Even to talk about it with her best friend."

At the end of my little tirade we stepped through the front door of the Belikov-Residence (it has some ring to it hasn't it). Olena saw me and told me where Chris was, assuming without even asking that I wanted to see him. I went upstairs, counted the doors, finally found the right one and knocked on it. No apparent reason for that, since I opened the door without waiting for any response.

"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but I thought you'd need me Chris," I said not taking my eyes off of him.

Tasha looked surprised but Chris nodded his head. I went over to him, cuddled up to his side and gave him a quick peck on his lips.

"You okay honey?" Gosh, was it just me or was that a stupid question? Not speaking Chris just shook his head and I could see some tears forming in his eyes.

"They turned Strigoi Rose. They were like me and went crazy. So crazy in fact that they willingly turned Strigoi. Will this be my future? I can't become such a thing. I can't be like them. I don't want to disappoint the people I love by becoming a monster."

And this Ladies and Gentlemen is our way onto 'Depression-road'. Tasha was right. I deserved to be happy, but so did Chris. Tasha was crying silently, hurt by seeing Chris cry. He simply never cried. Not Pyro. I cupped his chin and made him turn his head so he was forced to look me in the eyes.

"Listen carefully baby, cause I won't repeat myself. You won't turn Strigoi. For one simple reason. I. Won't. Let. You. Like you told me several months ago – we're in this together. I won't leave you alone with any of this. You have Tasha and me. You can talk to us. We won't let anything happen to you." He still looked uncertain, but slowly a trace of believing crept into his eyes.

"Please. Make sure I won't turn into such a thing."  
"We will," Tasha said walking over to us. "And I'll help the both of you finding out everything possible about your bond all that stuff."

Tasha hugged the both of us like we were about to vanish if she'd let us go to soon. Let me just say it was one of the wettest crying-sessions I've had in quite a while. Some time into our crying Dimitri quietly entered the room and knelt in front of us.

"You guys probably don't feel like it right now, but mama has made something to eat. Pelmeni and some black bread. You need to eat something. At least a bit."

We nodded quietly and in unison, wiped away our tears (but probably still looked like we'd taken some drugs, judging by our red eyes) and went downstairs to join the others.

Two hours later – seriously, I've never talked that much during lunch or any other meal – we cleaned up the table.

When we were done and the Belikovs piled into the living room to go on catching up with Dimitri and Tasha, Chris took me by the hand and pulled me out to the garden. He silently led me to a swing, where we sat down facing each other. For some moments we were just watching each other, like we intended not to talk anytime soon. Chris sighed heavily from time to time, but otherwise nothing happened, until he suddenly blurted "I'm sorry!"

"Huh?" Yeah I know, brilliant reaction to an apologizing boyfriend.

"I said I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I haven't told Tasha about us. I really should have, I just didn't know how. I just thought that it must be difficult to tell her that my ex-girlfriend's best friend died, I brought her back to life and now she's my girlfriend."

Though I was still a little bit angry I started to understand his doing. How do you tell your aunt that one of your best friends died and you brought them back to life? Like 'Hey, you know about the attack on St. Vlad's? Yeah well, Rose got killed but don't go crazy. I brought her back to life cause guess what! We've been wrong that I'm a fire user. It's actually spirit and and now Rose is my girlfriend instead of Lissa, cause Lissa cheated on me, while being compelled by Adrian Ivashkov. So... how have your last months been?' Not very likely right?  
"You could have simply told her that we're together. You could have left out all that life-saving stuff and told her about that another time."

"I know honey. But you know me. I'm stupid, I don't think through more than one scenario. I just thought she'd go wild if I'd tell her that story, so I didn't think of any other way. So I admit it. I'm terribly stupid and I don't deserve your forgiveness, but maybe you could at least think about it?"  
And thinking I did. For almost five minutes. But I not once broke our eye-contact. And I made my decision looking into his beautiful blue eyes and at the nicely ruffled black hair.

"So when are we going to look for a house?"

**review please... next chapter next week... it's already done...**

**disclaimer... not mine... like always...**


	20. Chapter 19

**as always... special thanks to... *drum-roll***

_**RayRae97**_  
_**Behatley**_  
_**sunayna4sho**_  
_**Sarah Odair**_  
_**unnz4**_  
_**loventherussian17**_  
_**Sophie Ashford Ozera **_

**glad you liked the last chapter... this one's a bit crappy... but it's just a filler actually... the next five chapters are already written *-* so you can be sure there **  
**willl be a new chapter every week from now on... **  
**love ya guys... and wish me luck cause if i have a little luck tomorrow i may get a contract for an apprenticeship... that would be so awesome *-***

**enough from me... read and hopefully not hate it :)**

~chapter 19~

RPOV

The next two days were spent with our search for a house. We actually made our decision after seeing only two houses, cause I practically fell in love with the second one. Though we wanted to decide together Chris let me make the decision cause he still had a bad conscience.

The house was beautiful. It had a nice flowery garden in the front AND the back, was two stories high and held enough room to have all of our friends on visit. We had five bedrooms, three bath rooms, one big living room, a small movie lounge and an awesomely huge cellar, which I could use as my own gym. Admittedly I had fallen for the house when I had seen the possibility of a gym in my house, Chris on the other side needed to see the kitchen and dining area. When we had stepped into the kitchen and there was this giant refrigerator with enough room for an entire festival-meal he had whispered 'We so need to get this house: Look at this kitchen!' and he actually looked like he would cry at only the thought of cooking in there. The real-estate manager looked like a happy dog when we told her that we wanted exactly that house. We'd only went ten minutes from our new home over to the Belikov's and just five to Tasha's and Dimitri's house. Yes, the bastard thought it wasn't necessary to tell me he'd be Tasha's damn Guardian. But what else did I expect? It was no secret that Tasha wanted him as her Guardian since forever. They're house looked pretty much like ours, without the huge kitchen area and the movie lounge..  
Following the two days of house-shopping were three days of furniture shopping. Let me tell you, our new huge black sofa was just awesome! It was so comfy, I think if I would ever sleep on it (accidentally or on purpose) I'll never sleep in a bed again, though our bed was pretty nice too. It was a white futon with a blackberry-colored glass in the headboard. Chris not once said anything against my decisions but in the end he looked quite happy with our new furniture too.

Another week later – we were nearly done unpacking and decorating in our house – we all got invitations from St. Basil, the 'local' school for vampires. The invitations said something about hosting a dance in honor of all the fallen Dhampirs and Moroi the following week. Vika told me that St. Basil was the school all the Belikov's had attended and that they did a dance like this every year. Right now we were sitting in the Belikov's living room and talked about the dance.

"Seriously? Two dress-ups in three weeks?" I asked Chris. "What the hell have we done to deserve this?"

"Are you asking me because you would love to go to another dance or cause you don't want to go?Cause right now I don't really know which one it is."

"I don't know," I answered in a childishly whiny voice.

"Oh come on Rose," Vika spoke up next to me, "we can dress up – though you probably just need to put on a nice dress – and dance all night. Or at least until Mr. Fun-Killer over there says we have to go home." Yes! Someone else who has the guts to give Dimitri the evil eye.

"Alright. I guess a bit of fun is okay."  
"A bit? A bit of fun? Seriously the dance at St. Basil is the biggest event in vampire society over here that you will ever see as long as you live in Russia. Okay, not really, but you get what I mean. Everybody's there and if you want to make friends and be a part of the social life in Baia. And if you come I can show you around in an awesome place."

Now with pretty much everybody else I would have declined, but Vika already was a really good friend to me, after only two weeks. I sighed dramatically.

"Okay. If I really have to... I think I can live with the torture of dressing up. But damn you if it won't be good."

Chris, knowing me, rolled his eyes at my drama but smiled warmly, happy that I got a chance to make new friends over here.

"We have to go shopping!" Viktoria suddenly squealed. "We need dresses, we need shoes and we need girl time in town."

"Whoa. Slow down your horses right there. We don't need girl time. The boys have to get suits. We can't let them go in blue jeans and old sneakers. Beauties like us can't be accompanied by homeless-looking guys."

Grinning I turned around to see a protesting Chris and a speechless Dimitri.

"Yes guys, I just called you homeless-looking. Sue me."

"Okay, we all go shopping tomorrow," Olena piped in breaking up our staring contest. "We'll have an early breakfast and then we'll take a cab and the SUV and get to the mall."

* * *

Next Day

I couldn't believe it. Had I known what they considered to be an early breakfast I'd never agreed to Olena's plan. It was five in the morning, human schedule as you know, the sun wasn't even up and yet there was Vika standing next to my bed, poking me in the shoulder until I opened my eyes. They seriously had come over to ours to wake me up.

"Get up sleepy-head. We're going shopping today." She said in a chirpy voice.

"Yes toDAY not toNIGHT. It's still dark outside. I'm not leaving this bed til the sun is up. Or you have to drag me out of here with all my dead weight."

Surprisingly she seemed to have heard every word and understood it, though I was mumbling. Into the pillow.

"Alright, then I'll have to drag you out of here." But instead of doing anything she left the room. Talked to someone outside the door before opening it again. And then it happened. Two strong hands, which I knew I pretty well, grabbed me by the feet and pulled me out of the bed.

"Wakey wakey princess," I heard Dimitri's deep voice right by my ear.

"Go away Dimitri."  
"I'm not going away Roza. You want to go dress-shopping with us homeless-looking guys, so you need to get your lazy ass out of bed. Now."

"Okay okay, calm down would you? I'm up, I'm awake. Now go idiot."

"I'll come in again if you're not out in five minutes, so you better get dressed quick."

* * *

3 hours and five minutes later at the nearest mall

Dressed in an olive-green muscle-shirt, blue jeans-shorts and my black chucks (All Stars of course) I stepped out of the black SUV and waited for the rest of our little huge group. In the end we drove in a convoy of three cars, the SUV filled with Vika, Babushka (Yeva insisted on being called that), Olena, Paul, Zoya, Chris, me and Dimka driving. In the cab were Karolina, the mighty pregnant Sonya and their boyfriends and Nikolai, Arthur and Lev, friends of Vika, in the third car which belonged to Nik.

"Here's how it's gonna be. The girls go and do their dress shopping. The boys go looking for tuxedos. Two hours from now we'll meet at the food-court and discuss anything else. Girls! Follow me!" I called in my best commanding voice and surprisingly they actually all nodded. While the guys were still watching us we made our way to the first shop I had seen when we arrived – Victoria's secret. Hearing the boys dropping anything they had in their hands I turned to the girls and gave them a thumbs up while they – except for Olena and Babushka – giggled like nervous schoolgirls- Yes, even Karolina and Sonya.

Some pretty nice black and white, red and purple undergarments later we went to a close book-store. Everyone of us needing a moment for herself.

Though I never was that much into books I went over to a row of shelves and studied their English literature stuff. It actually felt pretty good to see something not written in Cyrillic. I mean seriously, the language can be some sort of beautiful all it wants, but how the hell could anybody ever think of the Russian alphabet? Letting my index finger glide over the books I thought about the evening that was to come. St. Basil's school for vampires, just like St. Vlad's. Two weeks out of school and already going to the next one, though just for the evening. I guess it could be some fun, especially with the Belikov's there. Not really seeing the books anymore I wanted to step away from the shelves, when one blurry book caught my eye. A book I never ever would have thought to find in a human book store. The Mystery of St. Basil's and other ancient castles of the world. Blinking stupidly like somebody just had flashed me with a camera I stared at the book. Slowly I reached for it and scanned the glossary for any familiar names. And there they were. So many of the vampire's prophets like Basil and Vladimir I knew from our history. All of them having built a castle some time in their life. I mean, good to have hobbies and all, but building castles? And why haven't we heard about all these castles at school? Our prophets had done so much good in their time and actually still thought of leaving something special to their ancestors. I'd say no private life there. Still sort of nosing around in the book I went to pay it and told Vika I would wait outside for them so we could go looking for dresses.

* * *

The whole dress-shopping thing was more of a blur to me then anything. Few hours after I bought the book we were back at home, bags from the mall scattered across the floor of my black and white living room.

"Honey you know we're home right?" Chris asked giving me a bottle of water.

"Uh-huh."

"Tell me how we got home."

"Uh-huh."

"Rose look at me."  
"Uh-huh."

"Honey, close the book and look at me."

"Uh-huh."  
Okay, maybe not the most intelligent series of answering 'your master', but the book was too interesting to put it away. Having obviously enough Chris slid one hand across the book and put it on top of some magazines on our table.

"As interesting as this book might be, we have to get ready Rose. The dance will start in a few hours and other than reading that book all day you haven't done anything. You might wanna meet up with Vika and get ready. Cause honestly I love you, I really do, but I don't think that you should go to a formal dance in muscle-shirt, shorts and your older than dust chucks. So do me a favor and go to Viktoria."  
"Jeez Pyro. Don't go all desperate housewife on me. I'm on my way, see?"

I got up from where I sat, got all necessary bags and went to our door.

"But you know, any other boyfriend would be happy if his girl found some new interest, let it be decorating or in my case reading a book about castles that are eventually important to our society. Yet here we are. Me leaving to dress up like Barbie and you sitting on our couch, preparing yourself to be my Ken. Think about it, I'm out."

Last thing I saw before closing the door behind me was my man, sitting there like a fish opening and closing his mouth. Gotta love him. Even looking like that he still looked hot. What else could anybody want?"

Vika must have seen me from her window cause she was already standing at the door waiting for me.

"It's about time lady. You're an hour late, what have you done all the time?"

Seeing my look and the smirk on my lips she added hastily "Ya know what? Don't answer that one. Just get your lazy ass in here and let's get ready. The other women in here are nearly done and one of them is as fast as a snail. And no, I don't mean Sonya."  
"Whoa Vika. Take a deep breath, hold it a moment and let it out veeery slowly. Sure you don't know Lissa? She can ramble on and on just like you and it's always about completely unimportant things. Seriously I don't need all day to get ready for a dance. I already look hot, you look pretty much hot yourself. The rest is just given talent to look even better."

I flashed her a big smile and went upstairs to her room, calling out a hello for everyone in the house. And just like 'The Waltons' when saying good night they responded.

I was still smiling when I entered Vika's room just to be met by a catastrophe.

"Urm, Vika, what exactly happened in here? Was there some hurricane in here or what?"

Viktoria followed me, looking around the room and smiling sheepishly.

"I couldn't find my black high heels. So I searched and searched and wanna know the best thing? I still couldn't find them after acting like a moderately severe earthquake."

I looked around her room again, not really looking at anything before suddenly turning to her with a bright smile that would have made any beauty queen jealous.

"Vika, seriously? You want to tell me you have searched everywhere? Not sure I can believe you."

She looked at me like I had just grown another head.

"I just told you so. Why do you think I haven't searched every bit of my room?"

"Sweetie. Really. Take a look. You really don't see it, do you? Give you a tip. You seriously should study more."

"Rose, stop it. What do you even mean? I sturdy more than necessary and you know it."  
I let my head drop in disbelieve.

"Vika, there is one huge neon sign screaming 'look at me' next to your desk. They even look like you've placed them there so you can find them without searching every inch of your room."

Vika smacked herself in the forehead and sighed heavily.

"It's time we get ready so I might have a chance get a clue where and when I lost my ability of clear and straight thinking."

She smiled at me again and made a way through her scattered belongings and clothing over to where her black heels were.

"You know, looking at this mess I'd say we go get ready in Karolina's room, she's with Sonya anyway."  
Yeye, let the Barbie games begin. Better hope that will be worth it.

**review my lovely honey-bunnies (oh. how i've missed to call you that)**

**disclaimer.. not mine... and it will be like this in the next chapter... and the one after this... and the one after that... and so on... **


	21. Chapter 20

**hehe... next one... ^^... **

**THANK YOU**  
**Sarah Odair**  
**unnz4**  
**sydney-ivashkov228**

~chapter 20~

CPOV

When Rose came down the stairs I thought lightning may struck me. This was the second time I saw Rose dressed for an actual dance. And she looked even better than the first time. Truly a goddess. She wore a floor length blood-red robe, a light red stola and black high heels with crossed straps over her lower legs, only visible when she moved and the slit at her right leg moved apart. God, that slit showed more than was probably good but she looked gorgeous, a queen could be jealous of her appearance. She walked over to where I stood, while I talked to her through the bond and sent her some feelings of how I felt about her looks. _»Damn woman how can you even walk in these shoes?«_

"Honey, you should probably close your mouth. Just there I saw a fly looking pretty interested in a new flat." She smiled sweetly at me, put a finger on my chin and made me close my mouth. "But thanks for the compliment."

There was a shine in her eyes which I hadn't seen that often since we were an item. She looked truly happy and content with everything. It was a moment without worrying about anything, just being my girlfriend Rose. But when she blinked the moment was gone and she was my Guardian Rose again, banishing girlfriend Rose onto second place. She turned to everyone in the Belikov's living room, training her eyes on Dimitri especially.

"Okay guys. We do it like earlier today. Three cars just like for the mall. Everything clear?" She looked around waiting for any questions, but when none came she spoke up again. "Then let's get going. Don't want any Strigoi to attack us. Go go go."

I stepped aside when everybody else started to pile out the door and went to the designated cars. I looked at Rose just in time to see her blush.

"What is it honey? Why are you blushing?"

"Was that okay? I mean, their all trained Guardians. At least they have been at some point in their individual histories. They know me for two weeks and I just commanded them like I am their boss."

I stared at her, not believing what she had just said.

"You serious? That was awesome. You just showed them what good of a Guardian you are. And don't forget except for Dimitri none of them has a job. They're housewives. Though they are trained, or still in training like Vika, they need a tough woman to show them how it is done. Now, don't be ashamed of how you treated them just there. You did a pretty good job and let me tell you Master Dimitri was very proud of your doing." Rose chuckled lightly, a lovely sound to my ears as always.

"He'd better be, wouldn't want to disappoint my teacher. He probably would go all crying baby on me would I make a mistake. But seriously, I just bossed around my mentor. Who else can say that about themselves? Now let's go. These shoes are already killing me."

"But you look marvelous in them."

I gave her a soft kiss on the lips, before she could pull away and walk out the door. And let me tell you, her back looked just as nice as her front. I was just about to follow her when she poked her head back through the door.

"Stop undressing and eye-fucking me Pyro, we have places to be, people to meet, dresses and suits to show around. And Dimitri is horrible at waiting." She smiled again before skipping – yes skipping in these shoes – down the porch and walking graciously over to Dimitri and getting into the car. Dimitri looked up at me, brows furrowed while I still stood on the porch.

"She's right you know. I am really bad at waiting. Now hurry."

Jeez, better not let the Russian wait any longer. Somehow I felt like this would be two hours of 'let's-get-on-Chris'-last-nerve'. No fun at all.

RPOV

The last two hours were dominated by an awesome super round of 'killing Chris patience'. We had it all, jokes about his time at the Academy, stories about our school holidays when we got kidnapped in Spokane and best of all... embarrass Chris by telling stories from his childhood. Tasha did a great job with that. Since a few months ago I would never have thought of embarrassing Chris like she did. One could see that she loved him like he was her own and she did what friends have told me about so many times – embarrassed him like only a mother could.

I think the best moment was when Chris leaned over, so his mouth was close to my ear and he whispered something.

"Honey, could you do me a favor? Could you please not laugh about her stories? At least not that much? It's awkward as it is. You don't have to laugh about me to make it worse."

In response I had given him an apologetic smile and a little nod. But being me I couldn't stop and had to laugh again, not just a bit, more like crying from laughing too hard. I was truly sorry about laughing at him, but he seemed to understand. And he knew I was sorry. At least I hoped he knew.

_»It's okay honey. Stupid things happened when I was younger. As long as it makes you smile. How could I forbid you that beautiful smile?«_

"I'm sorry Chris, but these stories are just too damn funny." I said before giving him a soft loving kiss. All he did was giving me a sheepish smile at that.

"I know right? I can't believe that I was such a clumsy kid." After that we laughed about the stories together, harder and louder than anyone else in the car.

* * *

St. Basil's reminded me pretty much of good old St. Vlad's. It was in the middle of nowhere, encircled by iron gates and a castle so huge one had to wonder how many decades they must have spent building it. Still admiring the beautiful building I felt Chris nudging me in the side.

"It's beautiful isn't it? According to your book it was built around the same time St. Vlad's was."

Still not taking my eyes off of the castle I merely nodded in response. Chris actually had to take my hand and pull me with him, otherwise I would have kept staring. I didn't even register Dimitri walking next to me until he spoke directly to me.

"Wait til you see the gym. You'll love it." I tried to raise an eyebrow at him but failed like always.

"Just wait. Try some patience for a change." He chuckled lightly, but didn't bother to elaborate any further. When the gym was in sight Dimitri nudged me with his elbow and pointed towards it. Boy was he right. Just by seeing the outside I was totally impressed by the building. It looked nearly as big a the gym at the Royal Court and an enlightened running track encircled it. A bit closer to the gates was an open arena, probably used for the Dhampir's trials. I just thought that I'd love to see the gym and the arena in all their glory, when I registered that the dance was held in the gym. Vika msut have seen my disappointed look cause she came over to me and promised we could whenever we wanted, telling me that the gym was open 24/7 to every Dhampir that lived near the school.

"Wait til you see how they've decorated the gym and the arena. It's a sight you'll surely never forget."

"I thought the dance is in the gym?" She looked at me surprised.

"Ooh, right. I always forget you haven't been here before. The dance itself is in the gym. Bit there are always some announcements to make, that's what happens in the arena. It's like a graduating dance. Some of our students are rewarded for special achievements during their time at St. Basils's. They introduce new teachers and bid their farewells to those who leave for another school or are too old to keep teaching."

When Vika was done explaining this to me we stepped into the gym and I was nearly overwhelmed by what I was seeing. It wasn't decorated like the dance at St. Vlad's. Everywhere tables and chairs were arranged, white with purple bows at he back of the chairs. The dancefloor was in front of a stage on which a cameraman filmed the event, shown on the screen behind him. The DJ's booth was between the stage and the bar. Looking up to the ceiling I saw purple lanterns looking like they floated in the sky, the ceiling itself being decorated with fluorescent stars in all sizes.

"It's beautiful," I whispered to no one in particular. I could see Chris and Tasha nodding in response, rendered speechless by the sight.

"Told you so," said Vika, actually sounding proud of something. I took a closer look at her and had a feeling I knew why.

"You have helped with this, haven't you?" I asked her with a big grin.

"Yes, I have. It's tradition here. Each year all the students who'll graduate the next year plan the dances. It's pretty funny, stress but funny. Especially when others react to it like you guys did. It's just a shame I can't be part of it in the next year."

"Oh, you should be happy. True, you've helped with all of this and did an amazing job of it, but next year you won't have as much time to spare as you'd wish. You'll train for your finals, learn for your exams. You won't even have that much time for your friends anymore."

"That was your case Roza and you know exactly why you'd been stripped of any private life in your last year."

"Right. There actually rings a bell, when you say that. But know what Comrade? You didn't have any private life either, cause you had to take care of me." I answered, poking out my tongue at him.

"Yeah, cause he had so much life before he started to train you. Isn't that right Mister Antisocial?" Chris just had to say that. Dimitri's smile faded a bit but he recovered fast.  
"At least I had time for my books before Rose got onto my last nerve."  
Vika, who was walking ahead of us turned around, training her gaze on me.

"Tell me Rose, is my big badass brother still reading these mushy western novels every day?"

"Actually he is Vika." Viktoria started laughing at that, whereas Dimitri grumbled some unintelligible words and walked away from us. Next time I saw him he was talking to other Guardians, probably knowing them from his school time.

We danced a bit over the next hour or so, from time to time Viktoria introduced us to some of her friends. Some of them didn't take much interest in me, whereas others gushed over my name. I asked Nikolai what the matter was with them. His answer took me by surprise, before I heartily laughed over the new information.

"Hasn't Vika told you?" He had asked with a heavy accent. When I shook my head his eyes widened. "You're Rosemarie Hathaway!" No, really, nearly forgot that. "I mean you know that of course. But you're THE Rose Hathaway. The pretty much first Dhampir getting marks before even graduating, You fought an awesome battle, you got kidnapped by Strigoi and lived. You have graduated as valedictorian. You're a legend over here. Nearly everyone knows you. Even our teachers talk about you like you're a god."

"Ookay," I stupidly answered him. "So you're telling me everyone over here, or at least some of you, knows my story?"

He nodded like one of these dolls, you know the little dogs some have in the back of their cars. "You're as famous as Dimitri actually. He's the star student of St. Basil's. The teachers loved him, probably still do, seeing like they are waiting just to talk to him after so many years."

Some time later an unusual small Moroi, looking like he was in his forties, stood on the stage, taking the mic, telling the crowd to please go over to the arena. So we did. And it looked just as beautiful as the gym, except for the real stars in the sky. It was a beautiful clear night, not one cloud to be seen.

Again the little guy stepped onto the stage and took the mic once more. He started talking, me not really interested in whatever he was saying. Like always when someone started with a huge speech. From time to time the people around me applauded. I zoned back in when I heard Vika being called to the stage and looked up to it. Viktoria was saying something in Russian (all I could understand was 'Thank you' and 'my friends'). Chris didn't bother translating so it can't have been that important. I just heard my name somewhere in her speech when a noise like thunder ripped through the air. Looking up to the sky there still was not one single cloud. Getting an eery feeling of what was going on. I turned to Chris and Dimitri, seeing their shocked impressions. Chris was suggesting through the bond that we should do it like last time – him and I working together against them. The thunder sounded again (we still didn't know where it came from) and the Moroi in the crowd grew more agitated, wanted to run and hide.

"Chris I'm sorry, but we can't do this. My first and highest priority is to keep you safe. Please, I can't fight them when I'm here worrying about you. Please do me this one favor. Go in there, go with the other Moroi. Keep them calm and help the backup Guardians in there. I don't want to lose you in the middle of what is to come."

He had listened. To every word. He looked at me, calm as the sea on a sunny day, but through the bond I felt that he was angry, just trying not to yell at me. When he spoke I knew why.

"I already lost you once. We don't know if I can do this again. But what I know is that I can't lose you again."

I gave him a hard kiss right on the lips, quickly pulling away again.

"You won't lose me. I'll take care of that. I promise, but you have to stay safe for me, too. Now go."

And going he did. He looked over his shoulder, back at me and waved a goodbye. _»I love you.« _And then he was out of sight and Dimitri grabbed my elbow and dragged me to where the other Guardians where.

**review please... and if you could maybe do me a favor... more than three would be worth worshipping you guys :)**

**don't own VA... but this plto is mine and i love it and i finally have fun writing it again... **


	22. Chapter 21

**and already the next one... couldn't let you wait for too long after how the last chapter ended now could i?**

**thanks to... **

**AnnieIvashkov**  
**AndPidgeonsFly354**  
**Sarah Odair (i'll check the story as soon as i can :))**  
**unnz4 (please don't come after me, just felt the urge to try a cliffhanger for once^^)**  
**Belikovforever **

**from now on updates will always be on sunday evening (german time of course) cause i've got the  
apprenticeship i told you about in the AN from last chapter... so it will be work all week,  
****boyfriend and son all weekend and my lovely honey-bunnies (yes i still mean you) every sunday evening  
**

**now enough from me... read it enjoy it... i tried something new in this... **

~chapter 21~

CPOV

We had just stepped into what looked like the students dormitory. The Guardians took their positions next to the windows, watching what was happening outside. I started talking to the other Moroi, at least to these who looked like they were still able to listen carefully.

"Listen up guys. All the fire users take a step forward please."

They all looked at me, including the Guardians, like I was beamed down from Spock himself. Speaking directly to the Guardians, I tried again.

"We can help you defend this place. We can use fire to kill or at least distract them. I've done this before at St. Vladimir. Trust me, they can do this and by using their abilities they can defend themselves."  
The Guardians looked at one another, reluctant to my idea. Finally their eyes trained on an older Dhampir, probably the leader of this group, and waited for his verdict. His eyes trained on me, mustering me for some moments.

"What's your name boy?"

I gulped, knowing that if he knew my name and my plan wouldn't work, all the aggressions would go against me.

"Ozera, Christian Ozera is my name."

He nodded knowingly, as if I just had confirmed what he already knew.

"You're the boy who fought in the battle you said. Your aunt is the one fighting for a law that allows Moroi to train and fight on their own."

Not knowing if he was a sympathizer of Tasha's idea I just nodded, holding his gaze. After another long moment he nodded too, turned to the Moroi and spoke to them.

"The boy is right, you can use your abilities. Fight these bastards. He lived through something like what is happening right now. I'd say we follow his plan. Fire users – go to Lord Ozera over here and he'll tell you exactly what you have to do."

_»Let the games begin«_ I thought, sighing heavily at the approaching Moroi, not even wondering why none of them were protesting against the Guardian.

RPOV

_»Let the games begin.« _I chuckled lightly about Chris thought when there was another thunder, but this time it ended with a shrill noise, like someone was screaming on the top of their lungs.

"The wards are down," a Guardian told me when he saw my wondering expression. "Some weird Jujo from the magic of the wards." He looked down at me, his steel gray eyes practically boring through my flesh. "You're so young. You shouldn't need to be in this. You don't deserve to die." I gulped heavily.

"What did you just say?"  
"You don't deserve to die, you're just a teenager." Looking at him wide-eyed I barely stuttered an "It's alright" before Dimitri called over to me and I turned around to look at him.

"Roza, try to stay alive okay?" When I answered with a very intelligent 'ditto' he nodded and I turned back around to the Guardian I had talked to before. And he looked like he was utterly ashamed. He pointed at my neck, eyes wide open of surprise.

"You're Rosemarie Hathaway." I'm surrounded by very highly intelligent people.

"Yeah looks like it right? So I was in this fight before. Now we should concentrate on the matter at hand. You know? Protect the Moroi, kill the Strigoi?"

"Yes, yes of course. I'm sorry. And like Belikov said – try to stay alive."

A creaking sound, iron falling down on iron and there they were. At least fifty , hundred at most. Some of them looking not older than me, but could have been hundreds of years old, just like Isaiah. And they weren't attacking just anyone. They went for the youngest of the Guardians first. Groups of three or four Strigoi attacking one Dhampir. Obviously not knowing who I was they did exactly the same with me. Four women came at me, fangs bared, hands held out like they were an animals claws and snarling. Always a creepy sound, especially when close to a hundred Strigoi did it. They came, walked around me like to check out my build and attacked me. Believe it or not, they had the nerve to go for my hair, pulling at it, destroying the beautiful hairstyle Viktoria had created earlier. Note to self – avoid fights when in beautiful dresses and high heels. Their a pain in the butt, when you need to dodge, kick and strike out at your enemies. The women, one pretty blonde much dumber than the next one, were down in a few minutes and my dress was shredded into a mini-dress.

I had just enough time to get out of my heels – and stake one Strigoi with the silver tip of one of them – when a new group, this time twice the number of the first group came at me. Eight against one? That could possibly get a bit of a problem.

"Anyone? I could actually use a bit of help!"

Dimitri must have heard me over the sounds of the battle, maybe just hearing the spur of despair in my voice or simply wondering why the hell I was asking for help, but he staked his Strigoi and was at my side in a few strides. We fought them back to back until something weird happened. A wave of nausea hit me, making me stumble lightly and giving one of our attackers a wonderful chance to strike at me. His fist hit me square in the head and made me hold my forehead. I looked up at him, his sardonic smile, the dirty blond hair and eyes as cold as the south pole itself.

"Nathan," I breathed and was out. Out of color into blackness. I don't really know what happened next, but Dimitri told me about it afterwards and said that even for his standards I completely freaked him out with what happened.

DPOV

"Anyone? I could actually use a bit of help!" Rose's voice sounded frantic, desperate and when I was able to take a look at her I knew why. Rose did an awesome job of defending herself, made me proud of being her mentor. I could only imagine how hard it must have been for her to send Christian away, but it was for the better. It was her job to keep him safe with everything she had. Wouldn't she have sent him inside they probably would have distracted each other. Rose had to concentrate on the fight and she did.

I was fighting with a man, looking a bit over thirty years old, short brown hair and brown eyes, masculine face and geeky. Never knew a Strigoi could look geeky. But obviously death doesn't keep you safe from everything.

At least eight Strigoi were going at her, snarling and growling like the animals they were. Animals. Nothing less. A mantra you have to live on and remember in each and every fight. It may be hard but you get used to it, at least as long as you meet no Strigoi, whom you may have once known in life.

As fast as I was by Rose's side we fought back to back against what may as well have been our doom. After some minutes of fighting the air around Rose and I changed. It got a bit chilly and there was a humming sound, like thousands of bees were surrounding us instead of Strigoi. The undead stopped attacking us immediately, looking around frantically for what was to come.

When I turned to look at Rose I thought my heart must stop at any minute. She was leaning down, like she wanted to pick something up, but gripped her head with both hands, as if fearing it could explode at any moment.

"Roza? You okay?" I asked my inevitable fear for her evident in my voice. At the mention of her name she looked up at me – or at least her head snapped up. She was staring right through me, like I wasn't even there.

When I wanted to ask her again if she was okay she suddenly stood straight again, like nothing had ever happened. Her head was still turned in my direction so I could see everything that happened next. Her eyes, the blank stare in it, rolled back into her head and when they rolled back to their normal position the black of her pupil consumed every inch of her eyes, until everything in them was black. Her already dark hair got even darker and her skin seemed to glow oddly. Strigoi all over the place as well as the Guardians were staring at her like she was from another planet. Albeit knowing her I actually started to think the same, mentally kicking my own ass for even starting to assume something like this. As soon as this weird transformation stopped, Rose started moving again. She straightened entirely, head held high, looking more sophisticated than ever. Tossing her now open mane over her shoulder while looking around she gripped her stake as firm as possible, her knuckles turning white against her tanned skin. I tried calling her name again but she didn't seem to hear me. She looked around again, finally fixing her gaze on me. Hadn't I known what was sure to come I probably would have laughed out loud when she put on a snarky smile and winked at me. I mean – what the hell? Ans then she was gone. You know like 'pouf' and just like that she was out of sight. Everybody started turning their heads, trying to figure out where she was. Not seeing her for some moments the Strigoi recovered from their somewhat shocked state and came at us again with even more force and strength as before Rose's I'm-just-starting-to-glow-like-that-thing.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see some fast movements, almost looking shadowy in their own way. Being too occupied by fighting the one Rose had called Nathan earlier I couldn't turn to look what was happening. Probably I didn't want to know what was happening, either. Judging by the gasps that were audible from time to time it couldn't be good. And then, as suddenly as she had vanished Rose was standing at my side, smirking and pointing her stake right at Nathan's heart. He once again looked shocked, her sudden appearance obviously surprising him like nothing had ever before in his life. He shook his head , clearing it from the trance he seemed to be in and tried to lunge at Rose. But again she vanished only to appear behind him, driving the stake right into his heart in one swift motion. Looking rapidly around there still was one hell of a fight going on, but when I looked back Rose was gone again. How for heaven's sake did she do that?

CPOV

I had given all the necessary information to the other Moroi and them aligned in a row behind the Guardians when four Strigoi strode into the room like they owned the place. Maybe they did since we didn't really know what was going on outside. With the help of the fire-using Moroi the Strigoi were down as fast as they had come in and some of the Guardians threw me appreciative looks whereas others just continued staring out the windows. The Moroi were just taking their spots again, most of them smiling at their achievements, when there was a light shining outside, making the room glow somewhat blueish. Ignoring the Guardian's attempts - pretty lush ones if you ask me – I stepped closer to the window and look outside, gasping at what I saw. There was Rose, my Rose, standing like a statue, glowing oddly. The fights had stopped cause everyone was staring at her. Even the Strigoi. And I could understand them. What for the frickin sake of God was happening to my girl? When I looked closer she straightened completely, holding her head high, looking almost arrogant doing so. She looked at a tall Guardian, who I assumed was Dimitri and suddenly vanished into thin air. For the next minutes the same blueish glow appeared in several places, sometimes revealing Rose's entire form or other times just revealing her arm, stake in hand and striking out at a Strigoi. Whatever the hell was happening to Rose it did a pretty good job of helping her with taking them down one by one in only a few minutes. She actually seemed to be clouded by shadows whenever she disappeared. And training my gaze on the Strigoi she was attacking they always stood in shadows or at least close to them. Suddenly she appeared in front of Dimitri again, killing the blonde Strigoi he was fighting with. And just like that she moved over the field for at least half an hour til every single one of the Strigoi was lying on the ground having met their final deaths. Yes, Rose makes me watch True Blood and yes it actually is a really good show, not that I would ever tell her that of course. I saw the Guardians all around me and down in the yard cheering for winning against the Strigoi without any loss on our side. Believe it or not, but after that I suddenly felt terribly strained and lost conscience. Yes, I was out like a dead cat.

DPOV

When everywhere around me the cheering started Rose came back to me, once again suddenly appearing in front of me, out of shadows as it seemed. But this time she looked completely worn out like something had sucked away all of her life energy. She looked up at me, took a step forward and I felt myself reaching for her. Her eyes were closing like she was falling asleep, she just barely kept them open. She gripped my left forearm with her right hand, driving her nails into my flesh. I flinched but didn't shook her off.

"You need to get to Chris. He's unconscious. I don't know... don't know what... what happened."  
She fought to keep talking but finally her eyes won the fight. They closed and she crumpled to the floor. I was barely able to hold her but did it. I swooped her up in my arms and called for another Guardian to help me. It was the one who had earlier talked to her who heard me. When he approached us his eyes widened in shock.

"Is she... I mean is she dead?"

I shook my head, exhaling heavily. "No, she's just unconscious. Could you please take care of her for me? I need to look for our Morois."

He nodded already holding his arms out for her limp body. When she was in his arms and I was sure she'd be okay I turned around and ran to get to Chris.

**how was the DPOV? hope you liked it... tell me in a review^^ love ya guys**

**don't own it... wouldn't have guessed it... **


	23. Chapter 22

**here it is... sorry for the wait again, but some stuff happened and my babyboy**  
**was in the hospital for nearly a week so i wasn't really able to write... **

**thanks to the three (!) gyus who reviewed:**

**Belikovforever**  
**unnz4**  
**vix vik**

**now enjoy :):)**

~chapter 22~

RPOV

When I woke up I had no idea where the hell I was. But judging by the smell of it I was in an infirmary.

„What am i doing in a frickin infirmary?" I groaned out loud. Next to me someone answered with a chuckle. A really familiar chuckle even. I turned my head, registering a mild headache when doing so. I grimaced slightly, but when I saw Chris it turned into a smile.

„Hey my love. How are you? You okay? Sorry I wasn't there. I should have taken care of you. I'm a horrible Guardian."

And all Chris did at that was laughing. He laughed with a bliss coming right from his heart. I was actually compelled by the sound, having not heard the beautiful sound of his laughter for far too long. After some moments his laughter died down and he once again looked at me solemnly.

"Here I was worrying about you for three days, but you seem completely okay if you can really worry about being a horrible Guardian. But no such worries please. You're an awesome Guardian and you did a great job when protecting St. Basil's."

I looked at him stupidly. No idea why though. He actually made sense with what he said, but still something of what he said seemed wrong.

"Wait. Did you just say I was out for three fucking days!" I tried to get out of my bed but stopped shortly when something else caught my attention. Looking down at myself I saw one of my worst fears had come to life while I was unconscious. Growling I sat down again and turned to Chris.

"Tell me that you are not the one who doesn't love his life, cause whoever did this to me will die a very slow and very very cruel death." He chuckled once again, probably taking pleasure out of my misery.

"Good luck with that then honey. Forgive me when I'm watching you getting around the hunky Russian trying that. Oh don't be angry either when I'm eating popcorn watching this apocalypse go down."

"Why should I try getting around Dimitri?"

"Because Aunt Tasha put you into this. And if my understanding is correct Dimitri has to protect her from any danger. That would be you then."  
"Why? Tasha knows that I hate hospital gowns." I have to admit I sounded pretty childish right there with the whining in my voice.

"Firstly, the doctor said you'd need to put on a gown. Secondly your dress was torn and bloody and thirdly we didn't know when you would wake up again. So the gown it was."

"This is so embarrassing," I groaned into my hands before pulling my blanket over my head.

"Come on honey. It doesn't look that bad, you know. You have just the right shape for it."

"Oh god Chris. Don't talk like that!"

"Like what?" He asked in a fake innocent voice.

"Like you want to get me into bed," I answered him with a pointed look.

"Well, I already have you there, haven't I? There's no point in getting you into any bed right now. Speaking about you in bed, I'll go get the doctor so we can get you out of this bed and into our own. I can't see these white walls one more day."

Chris kissed my forehead, then softly on the lips, squeezed my hand a little and then went out the door. He probably thought I couldn't be alone, cause shortly after he left Dimitri stepped into the room.

He watched me, not saying anything, just looking like he would want to assess my feelings.

"You know it's not nice to stare at someone. Especially if this someone wears only a hideous hospital gown." I attempted to smirk at him but finally seeing the worry in his eyes stopped me in whatever I probably would have done.

Suddenly he came over to me, closing the space between the door and my bed in only two steps (god praise long legs) and hugged me tightly to himself. I let him do so for a long moment before gasping for air. He sat me down, but turning his head away from me when doing so.

"I'm glad you're okay." He whispered, really whispered, so I couldn't hear him that well. But I could have sworn his voice sounded a bit broken, like he was fighting not to cry.

"I don't know what it was that happened to you out there, but I probably should have tried harder to keep you safe. But it happened so fast. I'm sorry for not looking out for you like I could have." He turned his head lightly, letting me see the tear which was rolling down his cheek.

"Dimitri, I'm a fully trained Guardian. You can't always look out for me just because you're my mentor. And whatever happened out there, you perhaps couldn't have foreseen it or even prevented it. None of that out there was your fault and don't you dare thinking anything else."

He looked at me decently now, letting me see all his heartache just by seeing his dark brown eyes. It actually made my heart ache in return. I didn't know what exactly had caused him to look like this but it can't have been anything good.

"You're my sestra Roza. When you started glowing and your eyes and hair turned all black I thought something really bad was going to happen. Then you started killing all these Strigoi and I couldn't see you anymore. I... I thought one of them maybe could see your attack coming and would strike out before you had a possibility to do so yourself. When it was all over you collapsed right into my arms and I hoped, I prayed you wouldn't die. And when I ave you to Ivan, the Guardian who brought you here, it was the most painful thing I have ever done. But you asked me to go to look for Christian and I couldn't deny you that."

Ever seen a huge Russian crying? Let me tell you – you wouldn't want to be in my skin (actually... scratch that. You probably would want to be exactly there.) Not really knowing what to do I sat up straight against the headboard of my bed and pulled him towards me. He let me hug him, quietly crying into my shoulder. I was trying to soothe him, stroking over his hair like you would do with a small child, when Tasha came into the room, closing the door quietly behind herself, but when she saw Dimitri and me she sat down close to the door. Dimitri cried a few moments longer until he registered the new presence in the room. He wiped away his tears, looking somewhat angry at himself for breaking down like this.

"I'm sorry Roza. I don't know where that came from."

"It's okay Comrade. You know someone once told me that even the most experienced Guardians have to let out what they are really feeling. And now I have something to blackmail you and you know I use all that I have." I smirked at him and he actually chuckled at my comment. Looks like Dimka found back to his hard exterior of being a strong Guardian with no worries at all. Except maybe for protecting his Moroi.

We sat there in silence for a moment longer when my gaze fell on Tasha.

"Hey Tasha. Good to see you."

She smiled warmly at me – including the shiny white fangs – before answering.

"It's good to see you too Rose. You gave us quite a scare there you know?" I scoffed at her and earned a look like 'yes, you're really okay again' from Tasha.

"Believe me this one thing. Hearing from Dimitri about me glowing and my eyes and hair turning black. I can't remember gives me a scare too. I can't remember anything after Nathan hit me in the head. After that everything went black and next thing I know is being in the infirmary after being unconscious for three days."

"Don't you remember anything else?"

"Just something from when I sent Chris away with the other Moroi, but it isn't important."

"Anything can be important. Just tell us what it is. No matter what," Dimitri said with his freaky mentors voice. I trained my look on my hands before I answered him.

"I just wondered where Tasha was. I couldn't see her anywhere. But this isn't really important. I assumed you'd sent her with another group of Moroi so I didn't say anything."

Dimitri turned to Tasha, a wondering shine in his eyes.

"Actually... I haven't sent you away. I thought Rose would have sent you with Chris. So, care to tell us where you've been?" Whoa, was it me or did he sound like he was asking Tasha indirectly about helping the Strigoi to get into the school? Tasha didn't even hesitate when she answered him, she just smacked herself in the forehead. And she actually groaned. Awesome picture if you ask me.

"I totally forgot to tell you that. Shortly before the attack I went inside with the headmaster. We talked about other Moroi using their abilities to defend themselves. And he asked some questions about you two and Chris. I told him about your experience and about Chris helping in the attack back at St. Vlad's. Here comes the thing. He offered us a job. You two could be teachers for the soon to be Guardians, training and theory alike. Chris and I could be teachers for the Moroi. It would be a good thing for the four of us. And you wouldn't sit in the house all day. So what do you think about it? If we accept we can go talk to him right after you leave the infirmary."

I seriously just got offered a job and was reacting like a fish – opening and closing my mouth with no sound escaping. I could work here, in a beautiful place. Tasha was right. I wouldn't sit in the house all day and Vika would have to go back to school soon. But was I the right person to teach Dhampir's not much younger than me? I mean, for heaven's sake, I have no discipline at all and since when have I enough patience to train someone? Dimitri must have sensed my mood cause his smile brightened when he looked at me.

"Don't look like that Roza. Don't think you're not good enough for such an opportunity. You are the best young Guardian I have met in a very long time. And you helped me training Christian. You can do that. I'm sure of that, but maybe you should get used to being called Guardian Hathaway."

How can a man his age be so wise? He was right. Probably. I could do this. Maybe. But it was worth a try right? And I knew Chris would have to teach others how to defend themselves and he probably wouldn't take the job if I wouldn't accept the offer. And even if he would still accept it without me becoming a teacher – I still would be at St. Basil's on a daily basis anyway. So why not? I sighed heavily before speaking out my thoughts.

"Okay. Why not? Just keep me away from Guardian theory, cause I sure as hell don't want to end up like Stannie-Boy."

Both of them laughed remembering Stan Alto, but stopped when Chris after an hour – at least I felt that way – finally returned with a doctor. The woman was in her thirties I think, had long blond hair and shiny blue eyes.

"Hello Guardian Hathaway. Welcome back to the world of the living. I am Doctor Marinov. I'll just make some quick tests, check out your blood pressure, check for inner injuries, you know. Routine. If everything is okay you can go after signing the papers. And if you're okay," she threw me a threatening look, but her eyes were sparkling with humor, "I hope I can rely on you not returning here for a very long time. If you'd leave the room now? You can come back in when I'm done checking her out." She made a shooing motion at my visitor's and smiled warmly at me while we waited for them leaving the room. When they were gone she breathed out and took a step closer to me.

"Then we better get started huh? Follow the light please." She pointed her little flashlight at my eyes, nearly making me go blind by doing so.

"Geez doc, I actually want to still be able to see after this you know?"

She chuckled lightly but didn't say anything. And so it went for the rest of the check up. When she was finally done, she took a step away from me, smiling.

"Seems like everything is okay with you Guardian Hathaway. No concussion, no inner bleeding. After reading your file from Doctor Olendzki I thought I would at least find some scars or something like that. But nothing at all. Your body looks perfect, like you've never been injured before. Unbelievable after seeing the file. I'll go get the papers now. Sign them and leave. And like I said I don't want to see you in here anytime soon." She turned to walk out of the room but stopped after half of the way and turned to smile at me once more. Man this woman must have a happy nature. "Talking about seeing you anytime soon – it would be an honor if you and the others would work here. See you. Just not in my infirmary," she added sternly and finally left the room. What is it with the doctors always threatening me not to come back in the near future? Probably good I didn't promise her anything.

"So? What's the verdict?"

"I'm free to go. Just have to sign the papers. Has Tasha told you about the offer?"

"Yes she has. And if it's okay with you I'd really like to try it. They are defending Tasha's opinion. They want to make Moroi fight for themselves. Are we going to try it?"

"As long as you promise me one thing. If you ever heal me again without me asking you to – leave my frickin scars. I loved some of them since my childhood."

**revs please :):) more than three if you can do me this little favor...**

**not mine... it's richelle meads...**


	24. Chapter 23

**here's the next one :)**

**thanks to:**  
**LuPeters**  
**unnz4** **(don't worry, my babyboy is more than okay again :))**  
**Maravillosa Eres Tu (4 reviews! thank you very much :))**  
**And Pidgeons Fly 354**

~chapter 23~

RPOV

Another month went by and Viktoria's were coming to an end. We were sitting at the Belikov's watching some vampire movies and getting 'catered' by Olena. She loved to feed us all day. One could think she wanted us to get fat. But all she made was way too good to deny. Suddenly Dimitri stood in front of me and asked if we could go outside and talk. Getting questioning looks from everybody I followed him and we sat down on the steps from the porch. He turned to me, eyes sparkling undefinable. It actually looked like he was mega-happy about something but I just couldn't say what it was.

"Shoot Comrade. What makes you so happy?" He cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably, but finally opened his mouth to speak.

"You remember that one day and what we have talked about?" Now I was the one to feel uncomfortable. I turned my head away, having one of these funny flashbacks, you know the ones where everything starts out blurry and gets clearer with time.

**~ FLASHBACK~**

A week had gone by since the attaack at St. Basil's. We were all back to our 'normal' lives – nothing to do, shopping, watching television or training in the Belikov's backyard. As it turned out Viktoria was a fast learner and soon she'd probably be able to take down Dimitri or me. Two days ago I had trained with little Paul the first time – obviously he won every single fight and after each fight he would run around the house and scream like a maniac so everyone would know that he had won. And it actually never got boring. He was just too cute. Dimitri had left us to ourselves a little time while ago, said I could need a bit of additional practice when I wanted to teach entire classes of kids. Paul was just winning again when Chris came out of the house.

"Don't you two need a break sometimes?" He asked when he sat down next to a laughing Viktoria.

"Let them have some fun Chrissie-Pooh. Or do you really want an all-serious girlfriend who breaks down on her first day as a teacher?"

He looked horrified at the idea and let us fight a moment longer.

"Okay have your fun," he added after some minutes, "but when Paul took you down again we'll go inside and watch a movie. You're out here for hours, you can use a break and I'm pretty sure you haven't even thought about eating something since you came out here."

"Alright, but now shut up honey I need to concentrate."

Several minutes later Paul had me on my knees again, begging for forgiveness cause he was tickling me til I couldn't breathe. We went inside discussing which movie to watch today.

"I want one from Uncle Dimka's western movies" Paul said and we actually had to agree to it cause we couldn't think of anything better.

While Vika and Paul already took their seats on one of the sofas, Christian and I went into the kitchen to ask Olena where Dimitri and Tasha were.

"They said they'd go into town for a while, they should be back soon."

"Is it okay then if we go upstairs and take one of Dimitri's movies? Paul wants to see one of these."

"Sure, sure. Just go up there. It's not a problem."  
We both nodded and headed upstairs to Dimitri's room. I opened the door and went straight for his DVD-rack when I heard a sharp intake of breath. Not daring to turn around I walked backwards, eyes trained on the DVD I had grabbed.

"Man, what is it that adults can't lock their doors" Chris groaned out.

I should have known better as to just walk into the room. I still didn't look but heard someone landing on the floor (by the heavy sound of it, it was Dimitri tangled in bed-sheets).

"What are you two doing in here? And why haven't you knocked?" His voice sounded somewhat angry but there was a trace of humiliation in it too. Well, doesn't happen everyday that someone walks in on you getting all cozy with someone. It just had to be one of those days. Shielding my eyes with my right hand I looked to the floor, way too humiliated by what was going on in there.

"Olena told us you two had gone to town and would be back in a while. How should we have possibly known that you two were possessed by little furry bunnies and going at it up here?"

Dimitri groaned, slapped himself in the forehead and started muttering something in Russian.

"Well, we'll be downstairs, you two do... whatever, I don't want anymore mental images of this." I crinkled my nose, finally meeting Dimka's eyes again. He looked at me like he was about to kill me but I wouldn't know cause I quickly made my way down, feeling how my face got hotter within seconds. We walked through the kitchen again and back to the living room. And everybody was sitting there, waiting for us to come back with the DVD.

"Hey, what took you so... why exactly do you two look like oversized tomatoes?" Vika was the first to look at us and of course the others looked up after her comment. I looked straight at Olena, clearing my throat uncomfortably.

"Let's just say they returned from town earlier that you thought."

Olena looked at me for a moment, not knowing what I meant. When her eyes widened and her cheeks got red I knew she had understood what I was implying. And so had the others. They started laughing, while Paul sat there not understanding anything.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear them return. When they came back I must have been too concentrated on preparing dinner."

"It's okay. I should probably still have knocked instead of just going in there. This is so embarrassing."

Dimitri suddenly stood behind me, looking utterly ashamed of what had happened. At least we weren't the only ones. He looked straight at me, telling me without saying it out loud that we would need to talk about what I had just witnessed. I sighed overly dramatic and nodded to the back porch. We both kept quiet for a little while, Chris asking me through the bond if he shall come out too, to which I could just shook my head. But he probably was watching me anyway. I had to fight a chuckle when he imitated my dramatic sigh from earlier.

"Listen, Rose. In there... that as a one time thing. We never did this before and never will again."  
"Whoa, stop right there Comrade. I know you and you wouldn't do anything like this without a reason. We both know, actually we all know except for little Paul and Zoya, that Tasha is in love with you since like forever. And she wants a family with you. You can't tell me you don't want a family yourself. I have seen you with the little ones in there and you would be a perfect daddy. So don't tell me this was an one-time-thing, cause honestly I think you are terribly in love with that woman too." All Dimitri did was looking at me like I had slapped him, each cheek twice.

"Why would you say that? How would you know that I love Tasha when I don't even know myself?" Chuckling at first I answered him with an honest smile on my lips.

"You should see yourself when you are around her. I just realized it when we came here. You always look at her like she is a goddess walking earth, like she is your sun, you are always around her. You even touch her whenever it is possible and doesn't look like too much out of the picture. You are following her around like a lost puppy and you don't just do that because you are her Guardian. Think about it Dimka. Somewhere inside this pretty head you know you love her."

And when I touched him this day, I suddenly saw what he thought. Pictures of Tasha, how they were acting around each other and more stuff like that. And unfortunately a picture from a very naked Tasha lying underneath him. Jerking my hand away from his cheek I earned a wondering look from Dimitri.

"Ooh, I so not needed to see that last picture. Again." I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

"Care to tell me what just happened?"  
"I don't know" I said groaning again. "Whatever that was, it was so not necessary. I never ever wanted to see Tasha naked, or you having sex with her for that matter. How about we never talk about that again?"

"You saw that? Man this is awkward. I think it's a pretty good idea. We never talk about what you saw again. You have shown me what I didn't see myself. It is not necessary to talk about Tasha and me having sex ever again."

"And yet you keep mentioning it. Thanks for messing up my head up further. Totally needed more of these disgusting scenes in my head."

**~ END OF FLASHBACK ~**

"Yeah, well. What happened is pretty much burned into my mind forever. No way I could ever forget that. What about that day? I thought we would never talk about it again."

"I thought so, too." he answered with incipient red cheeks. "But Tasha just talked to me and it looks like it was actually a pretty important thing."

"So have you two finally told each other what you are feeling?" Yes, my dear friends, Dimitri knew for nearly a month that he loves Tasha, but couldn't get himself to talk to her. He even worked on touching her more often that was necessary. They nearly never touched now, they even refrained from talking to each other.

"Not really. It may sound stupid, but I don't know how to do it. But I wanted to tell you something much more important."

"Tasha's pregnant," I tried to joke but seeing Dimitri's serious look I stopped almost immediately. "So you two can't even tell each other you are in love but you are going to have a baby Dhampir? You two like to play it weird huh?"

"Not as weird as you and Christian. None of us already died once, can heal someone else with their magic or does something freaky like that shadow-thing you pulled off at the attack."

"Good point. But seriously, don't you think now would be a really good time to tell her what you feel for her?"

He shook his head and sighed heavily in response. "I don't think so. It would be somewhat nice to tell her that I love her, but you know that I don't know how. And right now, don't you think she would think I would just say it because of the baby? Right now it would be a huge case of bad timing. So no, I won't tell her right now. But I will. Soon. I promise, now stop staring at me like this. You just want me to tell her so you and Chris can bicker around about us. You two would love to make fun of Tasha and I as a couple."

Trying to look terribly hurt I put a hand to my chest and stared at him with watery huge eyes. "Why would you say such a terrible thing about us?"

He scoffed at me, giving me a look that clearly said 'Don't you dare trying to pull off that move'.

"Okay, I'm all serious. You may have a point when you say she would think you just said it because of the baby, but she deserves to know it. The longer you won't tell her, the more chances you will give her to fall in love with someone else. It would be awesome to joke around about you two but Tasha is a woman every man wishes for himself and you know it. You know as well as I do that she deserves better than to love someone who isn't able to tell her about his feelings. Tell her or she will find someone else and she will be more than happy, she will be delighted at the chance of true love."

He merely nodded, but I knew he understood my reasoning.

From that point on we kept talking about everything and nothing til it was already dark and the moon stood high. When a wave of nausea hit me I knew that it was terribly wrong from us to sit out on the porch and not to care what time it was. At least we knew that our Moroi were safe. I had just pulled the stake out of the waistband of my jeans when something hit me in the head. I had time enough to think something along the lines of 'Bastards could start kicking me in the stomach, like all the others always do' when blackness already engulfed me.

When I came to, the Strigoi were gone (all but one dead body, that was left behind) but so was Dimitri. And I had no frickin clue what had happened to him.

**not mine... just like the last 23 published chapters...**

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	25. Chapter 24

**next one... before i had five reviews... thought the guys who still read this might wanna go on :)  
hope you guys like it :):)  
**

**thanks to **

**And Pidgeons Fly 354**  
**LuPeters**  
**xxxcrybabyxxx11 (loved your review :))**  
**unnz4**

~chapter 24~

CPOV

When Rose came back in to the Belikov's living room it was far after darkness had come. And she was all alone, no sign of Dimitri. A collective intake of breath ripped sharply through the air, when Rose stepped far enough into the light. A trace of blood went down her cheek, already clodded and her usually silky hair sticked to her head with smeared blood.

„Oh god Rose? What happened to you? And where is Dimitri?" Olena literally stormed at her and started to examine Rose's injury. „Did you got hit in the head dear?"

Rose didn't answer right away, just looked at Olena like she spoke another language. All of a sudden her beautiful eyes, now looking broken, found Tasha's and she stared at her for another moment before parting her lips. Tears started flowing down her cheeks when she spoke directly to Tasha. "I'm so sorry," she admitted in a tiny voice. "I'm so terribly sorry." She kept repeating herself until she collapsed. She simply fell to the floor, her eyes closing but the tears somehow didn't stop. Tasha was frozen in her place, apparently knowing what exactly Rose meant with her apology. Olena and Karolina picked up her body and laid her on one of the couches. Olena followed all the standard procedures checking out my unconscious girlfriend while I just sat there staring into thin air. All I could see was the blood on Rose's head and I could only think of was that I would lose my girlfriend. The love of my life dieing. Again. Talk about a crappy day.

"Chris?" Vika sat beside me and looked worried, her accent more defined now. "Chris. Listen to me, you need to listen please. Rose is alright, see? Mom is checking her out. Her breathing is normal, her blood pressure is a bit low but that's alright. It'll be okay after a cup of coffee, Mom just needs to clean her wound and she will put a band-aid on it. Your Rose can rest a bit but she's okay. But Tasha isn't. Natasha needs you right now. Her Guardian is gone, the man she loves is gone. She needs you. Go to her, hug her and show her that you are there for her. It may be hard for you but she needs this right now. She needs you right now." She had turned my face so that I looked at her then. Her eyes held so much worry it must have physically hurt her, but she didn't show it. Just her eyes. Her eyes would scream out her worries and fears to everyone who would look into these brown eyes. I thought about the other's feelings a bit before merely nodding at Viktoria, getting up from the armchair and slowly walking over to where Tasha stood. She was still frozen in her place, staring at the door through which Rose had entered, her eyes widened from her shock, from the realization that Dimitri was gone. And one hand was draped over her belly, like she was trying to protect something. And suddenly I realized that my aunt, the woman who practically was my mother, who had raised me like her own all these years, was pregnant. And the father probably was Dimitri. Another child that would grow up without a father.

She didn't even realize that I was there. I stood right in front of her and she seemed to stare right through me. I didn't really try talking to her, I just took her into my arms. Able to move again she turned her head a bit so that she could put it on my chest and I could put my chin on top of her head, holding her tiny frame. It's weird how you never really realize how small other people are until you are in situations like these. Tasha draped her arms around my waist, loosely holding on to me. In turn I smoothed away the hair from her forehead and repeated Rose's little mantra from earlier. "I'm so sorry. So sorry." We stood like this for I don't know how long but at some point my knees started to get weak and I decided to bring Tasha upstairs into her bed. She needed the sleep and so did the baby.

Tasha had fallen asleep quckly , to exhausted to even take her clothes off. She just sort of fell-crawled (pretty weird mix if you ask me) onto her bed and fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Not ready to go to bed myself I went back downstairs to sit at Rose's side. She just lay there, breathing so low she looked pretty much dead which made me think of her 'death' again. I stared at the bloody spot on her head and a trace of it Olena hadn't washed away. Laying a hand on her forehead I concentrated on Spirit and hoped it would heal my Rose again. I just couldn't see her injured and right now was one of the moments she couldn't protest against getting healed. And whatever happened in the infirmary at St. Basil's I was only able to heal her obvious wounds, the bloody scratches and gashes, she stayed in her comatose state til three days later. When I focused on my love again I saw the bloody wound heal and her beautiful eyes flutter open. Looking at nothing, probably not even seeing me at her side tears pooled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

"He's gone. He's really gone. We sat there and talked about everything. And now he is gone. The baby needs a daddy and he is gone. He couldn't even tell her how he felt."

The rest of whatever she was saying was drowned by her sobs. She was hiding her face in her hands when she was not able to say anything else. I pulled her up a bit, sat down where seconds before her head was and draped my arms loosely around her, not wanting to make her feel confined. After some minutes just crying and shaking she turned towards me, scrambled onto my lap and buried her head at my neck. Within seconds my neck and the collar of my shirt were wet from her tears.

"I should have heard them coming Chris. They shouldn't have been able to hit me. I should have looked out for danger much more. I'm supposed to be a frickin Guardian. I don't even deserve that title. That god damn tattoo is nothing. I am nothing." At that I took her by the shoulders and made her look at me. Her gaze sort of automatically locked on my eyes and when she was looking at me with tears still sliding down her cheeks I started to talk to her through our bond, knowing very well we haven't done that for far too long. »Listen to me and listen very careful. I know that this is hard for you, terribly hard even. But don't you ever think that you don't deserve your title as a Guardian. You are doing a wonderful job at protecting me and whoever else needs your protection. You fought in a huge deadly battle back at St. Vlad's, you fought another battle just as dangerous as the first one, only a month ago and tonight you lost your best friend. It is completely normal for you to feel like that, but don't you ever doubt your value. You deserve your title. You deserve the job at St. Basil's. You deserve feeling friendship and love. You deserve these,« I thought letting a finger trace the skin of her neck where she had her tattoos. »If there is one thing you sure as hell do not deserve than it is feeling hurt and losing your best friend slash brother. He was the closest you ever had to a family. I probably should be jealous of this but I am not. I'm happy cause he made you feel like part of a family and you deserve that kind of love more than anyone else I know. But we will get through this. I have to say this so often but I will be at your side and you will get through it. It may sound silly but we have to be strong together. Think of Olena and her girls and of Tasha and the baby. They all need someone strong at their side and I know that you can do this.«

Her eyes had dried somewhere through my rambling and she looked at me with an unsure glint in them.

"Do you remember the day when I was shopping with Lissa and the other girls broke my ankle afterward?" Rose didn't even wait for my answer before going on with what she had to tell me. "That day Dimitri and I talked on our way to the mall and we made a promise to each other. We talked about being turned Strigoi and how hard we would want someone we know to free us from such a state. We probably never thought of it really becoming an option but now I have to realize what kind of fate he is destined to have. I have to go after him, wherever he is, and kill him. I don't know how for God's sake I am supposed to take my brother's life. I know that he is not my best friend or brother anymore, but he is still Dimitri. He still has Dimitri's voice, his looks and his fighting abilities, but all in all he is nothing like my mentor once was. My mentor, best friend and brother is dead and I have to accept that. I don't know how much time I will need before I can go after him, cause I will never be ready for this but I can accept that one of the most important people in my life was killed by those monsters. And I will. But right now, as long as I will need to accept his fate I will be there for his family and most of all for Tasha. I am the only one who can tell her how he felt about her and I will. I will be there for her and the baby with everything I can do for them."

While she had told me all this, in a surprisingly strong voice I might say, some tears started spilling over but she didn't seem to register them as long as she spoke. When she was done she wiped them away and looked at me tiredly. I lay my forehead against hers and softly stroke her cheek. »Let's go to bed honey. Tomorrow will be a hard day.« She nodded slightly and opened her mouth a bit. Thanks to my Moroi hearing I could understand her whispers.

"Better say a hard couple of weeks or months even."

A couple of minutes later we lay in bed together, Rose snuggled up to my side and practically clung to me like I was the next thing she could lose if she won't look after me. When I was slowly dozing off I felt her scratch at my walls and enter my mind.

»Honey, what are you doing in my head?« I mumbled in my mind.

"Sorry, I just don't feel like I could endure dreaming of what happened to Dimitri."

»Alright. Stay if it makes you feel better.« We both dozed off and when we were finally asleep I did something new with her. I dreamwalked with her like Ivashkov had done back at America.

RPOV

We both didn't know how Chris did it and I for my part wasn't interested in it. Not after what happened to Dimitri.

When I first saw the way too happy surroundings I thought Adrian had dragged me into this dream but then my Chris stood in front of me and my mood changed, turning three hundred and sixty degree. I kissed him on his soft lips, ready to act like nothing had happened at all and enjoy a few hours of a beautiful dream with my boyfriend. And it actually helped me to wake with a little moment full of happiness and a little smile on my lips before reality kicked in and I felt my bad conscience chiding me for feeling such happiness even for such a short time. Boy it would be a terrible piece of work for all of us to accept what happened to Dimitri. And I had an even harder time ahead of me knowing that I was going to be the one who had to kill him.

**reviews please :):) next one probably will be out next sunday :)**

**STILL NOT MINE FOR GOD'S SAKE -_-**


	26. Chapter 25

**here's the next one :)**

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**_LuPeters _(you may have to wait for some chapters...:/**  
**erverything that keeps you reading :p)**  
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**_Maravillosa Eres Tu_ (where does that name come from... **  
**i checked it four times before i was sure i spelled it right)**  
**_Zoey the shadowkissed Emo wolf _(missed your reviews :))**

~chapter 25~

RPOV

Breakfast. A relaxing and pretty much happy get together of people who love each other for the most important meal of the day. That was how Chris and I usually defined breakfast at Belikov's. Not today. Today the definition would be: Breakfast. A tense and unfortunate get together of people who are broken because of losing a loved one for an all in all completely unimportant meal. And every single one of them would agree on that. There was no laughing. No stupid jokes. No bickering between sisters and their brother. No arguments about the plans of the day. And most of all no talking or any sound at all. We all just sat there, staring into thin air. Not looking at each other, everybody consumed by their own sadness, grief and probably some terrible thoughts. I know that I had told Chris that I would be strong for them, but I really didn't know where to start. From time to time I looked up to see tear stained faces, red swollen eyes and hunched shoulders. None of them looked like they were in the right state to do anything about what had happened. Olena started started cleaning the table, distracting herself by her usual work in the house whereas everybody else just sat there, only Chris was looking up at me, a trace of uncertainty in his eyes.

_»Go to her«_ he said in his head. _»She wants to talk about what is going to happen now. Everyone of them does. They just don't want to say it loud. They fear the truth but know that they have to do it.«_

Not knowing what he really was hinting at I took some still clean plates and knifes and went after Olena. I nearly retreated from the kitchen again when I saw Olena's frame leaning over the counter, tightly gripping the edges and her knuckles turning white. And she was sobbing silently, only her shaking shoulders giving away her feelings. I thought a moment longer before walking over to her in a few steps and pulling her into my arms, hating myself for being the one who had seen Dimitri right before he was taken, 'the last person who had seen him alive' suddenly got a whole new meaning.

We stood there for a little while before I looked around for a possibility to sit down. Since there was none I lightly pushed Olena down to the floor and sat next to her while she kept crying. I let her lean her head onto my shoulder and clutch my hand tightly in both her hands. She dug her nails into the flesh of my hand but I didn't show any sign of pain. I could feel my shirt getting wet from the salty tears, which still rolled over her cheeks. From time to time Chris would tell me how much time had gone by, but I still would only sit there and let Olena cry over her lost son.

A bit over an hour had just gone by when she lifted her head and sighed heavily.

"My baby-boy is really gone isn't he?" But she wasn't really waiting for an answer so I let her take her time and patiently waited for her to go on. "He was only twenty-four. I always knew he wouldn't stay here, he wasn't raised like that. I knew he would love his job as a Guardian and knew he would risk his life for someone else. I always feared the day when someone would tell me that he was gone but now here it is. My little boy is gone, dead. I have to plan my sons funeral. No mother should have to do that. No mother is supposed to bury her child." Suddenly she seemed to realize who she was talking to since she turned her head and stared at me wide-eyed. "I'm sorry Roza, you shouldn't have to listen to me ramble on about that. Last night I heard what Christian told you. That Dimitri was the closest thing you had to a family. And for me you are a part of this family since you first took a step into my house- You lost your brother last night, you need to mourn over your loss just like everyone else in this house does. You are not supposed to be the adult in this kind of situation you know."

"I promised him to free him from whatever they do to him." I suddenly blurted out. "He was an awesome fighter, we all know that. I know you don't want to hear about that, especially not right now, but they probably turned him into one of them. You say I am not supposed to be the adult in this situation but I actually have to be. Whatever happened to Dimitri, your Dimka, I am going to find him and I will free him. I promise. And if this will cost my life, I will do this til the day I die. I will do everything to keep my promise."

She was crying again, more terrible and heart-wrenching than before.

"I probably shouldn't say that Roza, but if you would really do that... You have no idea what that would mean to me." She shook herself a bit after that, got up and when she pulled me up she spoke in a slightly stronger voice.

"I know it's hard but we have to plan Dimitri's funeral. We will invite his friends and friends of the family, we will do a bonfire in memory of him. You can tell us a bit about his life in America, so can Tasha. It may sound cruel but we need to let go and accept that Dimitri is gone." I stared at her, mouth a bit open from shock when she looked at me again. "I know you feel just as bad as we do, probably even more because of the promise you gave him, but would you help me organizing the funeral? My girls would probably break down even more if I would ask them. You are strong, I am sure of that. I need someone as strong as you are helping me." Without really knowing what I was doing I nodded, and I didn't even have the slightest clue what I should help with exactly. None, or pretty much next to no one, would understand me if I would invite them to his funeral, so I couldn't make the calls. I wasn't that good with cooking, so I couldn't help Olena in the kitchen. Seeing the misery evidently on my face she put on a fake smile and patted my shoulder. "Don't look like that. I can give you the numbers of those who speak English, so you can invite those. And you could maybe make a slide-show from Dimka for the bonfire. Then we can look at some pictures of him, all together. I will do the kitchen stuff and anything else. Just take care of some of the invites and the slide-show alright dear?" I nodded again, already having a few ideas for the slide-show.

"Alright then. Go and search for some nice pictures. I will go look for the numbers. Don't tell the others where you are going, just take Chris and go. He can help you with the pictures."

We both went out of the kitchen to see that everyone, except for Chris, had disappeared. He got up from where he sat and came over to us.

"Can we do something for you Olena?" She nodded lightly and once more put a hand on my shoulder before she answered.

"Like I just told Roza, you two can go and look for some pictures of Dimka for a slide-show, afterward I will give you some numbers of our English-speaking friends whom you can call and invite for the funeral." Chris' eyes took on some more sympathy.

"You can give us all of the numbers Olena. I speak Russian, at least I understand enough to read it and pronounce it right. Just write down what I am supposed to tell them and I will call them."

"That would be very nice of you Christian. I will make a list of numbers, just come to me when you have the pictures. I will be in the kitchen and take care of the meals for tomorrow." At that I turned to her.

"Tomorrow? But isn't that to much at short notice?" She shook her head sadly, making me regret what I had said.

"That may be true, but over here we have a funeral for those who we lost at the shortest notice possible. It may be horrible but this is how we get to closure. We lose someone and 'bury' them within the first week. It's how it works here."

"I am sorry Olena. I shouldn't have asked. We will just go home and look for the pictures."  
We didn't wait for her answer or some sort of goodbye, we just went out the door and back to our home. We didn't talk, I knew Chris wanted to say something but he didn't want to push me. All I got from the bond was that it was about the last two hours. He probably wanted to know what Olena and I had talked about. But now looking at me he knew it.

When we entered our house I went upstairs into our bedroom and sat down next to our bed. Several minutes went by before I even felt able to pull out the shoebox with all of my photos. Another several minutes later I actually leaned down and pulled the box out. It went like this without me thinking about how dead-beat I must have looked or how hard this actually was going to be for me. When I opened the lid of the box I saw a picture of Dimitri and I during an exercise lesson. It looked like I was about to do one of those ultra-cool roundhouse kicks when he was dropping down to swipe away my feet. I remembered that training. We were laughing most of the time that day, mostly because it was the first time Chris had trained with us but also because it was one of the very few times when we just had fun.  
Picture after picture made me cry more. Photographs from Dimitri ordering me around, making me work our with everything he could find in the gym or him and I talking on the plane when we went to the Royal Court a few months ago. Many pictures later I found one of us where we were dancing at my prom, smiling at each other. Only seconds after that picture had been taken we broke apart cause he suddenly needed to talk to Alberta. Or so he said. Yesterday he told me that he had gone outside to call Tasha and accept her offer. Eyes puffy and vision blurry from tears I leaned back against the bed's frame and looking at nothing. For the hundredth time that day I asked myself how it was possible that Dimitri was really gone and I was the one still there. His fighting skills were so much better than mine, his reflexes made him the perfect Guardian he was. Wiping my tears away – probably for the millionth time – I pulled the box closer and looked at it.  
Under some pictures a folded paper's edge made me curious about it's content. Looking inside there was a DVD labeled 'Our Graduation!'. Chris must have put it there, I had never seen it before. Him and Eddie hadn't even shown it to me when they had edited this thing, so I got m y purple shiny new notebook from the desk and started it to take a look at the video. Only that I had forgotten my desktop's background – the last picture we had made back in America. Eddie and Mia, Lissa and Aaron, Chris and I. And Dimitri's huge frame next to us. Full smile on his lips that even reached his eyes. One of those rare smiles he had always saved for special occasions. I swallowed heavily (being fully aware of the lump that had formed in my throat when I had seen the picture) and clicked on the movie player's icon. I wasn't really concentrating on Kirova's speech or the Moroi's ceremony. I clicked the fast forward button and waited for the ceremony of the Dhampirs – and wished I hadn't when the first thing that caught my eye was Dimitri's face, stoic as always. I stopped the recording and looked at it, choking a bit when new tears rolled down my cheeks. At which point did I became a person who cries all day? I started the video again and fought more tears when the recording got to the point when Dimitri gave me my engraved stake, the special mentor-student-thing for graduation, and whispered something into my ear while hugging me.

"When I first met you, I wouldn't even have dreamed of that moment. I mean, we yes. Here yes. But you being the best student of the year? Never would have bet on it. But I'm proud of you Roza. You deserve it. I watched you while you got to where you are now. I saw the untrained Rosemarie with no respect for authorities become the trained Rosemarie with not very much respect for authorities. See? There's actually a reason to be proud of you. You now can act like you know what respect for authorities means." Given, it has been a pretty long hug but no one even cleaned their throat at it. We had chuckled a bit at his little speech before he let me go and brought some space between the two of us.

CPOV

I stood in front of our bedroom door for a pretty long time. I had come up here right after Rose had. I had seen the door closing behind her, but hadn't followed her into the room – obviously. I just didn't know what to do, cause my Rose wasn't the one for crying all the time. But this wasn't realy my Rose right now. She cried all the time, except maybe for the time when we had visited the Belikov's for breakfast. She had been so very strong back there but now she had to look at pictures from Dimitri. I knew she really wanted to do that, I just was not sure if she should do this alone. So I was standing outside this door and patiently listened to the sounds behind the door. There had been some shuffling, much sobbing and sighing, the sound of her notebook when she had started it. A little silence had followed and I thought she must have seen the picture of all her friends, including Dimitri, which she used as her background. Some minutes went by until there was some clicking and voices followed. It was the video footage of our graduation, which I had edited together with Eddie. The voices died down again with a single click and when they started again it was the part of the Dhampir's ceremony. Some minutes later, filled with heart-wrenching sobs from my love, the sounds stopped again and Rose started crying. Once more she started the footage. Besides her sobbing Rose didn't make any sound until she quietly said something to the air surrounding her.

"I will find you Comrade. No matter how long it will take. No matter how far I have to go for it. No matter if I die trying to free you. I promise I will save you from this state. No one will stop me and get me to ever stop looking for you. I'm so sorry Comrade. I miss you so much, but I will be strong for the others, they need someone strong and I can be that someone. You can count on me."

When I heard her breaking down – fists colliding with the floor – I opened the door, strode over to her and swept her up in my arms. If she wanted to be the strong and tough one for everyone else, than I could at least be strong for her.

**sorry for that one very long paragraph in RPOV... hope you liked it at least a bit... **

**let me know in a review if you would be so kind :):)**

**disclaimer... you know what has to be written at that point...**


	27. Chapter 26

**next chappy ^^**

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN **  
**(i know it's not today, but tomorrow :):))**

**thank you...**  
**..._xxxcrybabyxxx11_ (sorry that it made you cry, **  
**but i cried too when i wrote it)...**  
**..._XxAlonexX_...**

**enjoy it guys :)**

~chapter 26~

RPOV

Back at the Belikov's together we went to Olena and showed her the pictures. Chris said I shouldn't tell her about the video I had found. "It's your special moment with Dimitri and it should stay yours." had he said. And he probably was right. It seemed not really okay to keep it from Olena but even if it was egoistic, I wanted to keep a nice memory of Dimitri all for myself. Chris and I had finished the DVD together and watching it we both realized we had forgotten something – to tell our friends on the other side of the world what had happened to Dimitri. We hadn't talked to them very often since we had moved here and it seemed like a bad time to call them but I had to do it. I called Lissa first, then Mia and Eddie only to be told 'The number you have called is temporarily not available'. Let's say I was pretty close to rip the mechanic voice through the phone. Would it be able to do such a thing. So we didn't reach any of them for an hour and finally gave up on it. And here we were now, back at Olena's and waiting for her to to finish the two cards with the info what to tell the funeral guests. She gave Chris the Russian one and made him read it out loud. When he pronounced everything the right way she gave him a little black book and sent him to the living room. I waited some moments longer until she had finished my card and gave me a list of people I could call. I was about to leave the kitchen when she called me back. She looked up at me from where she sat with once more tear filled eyes.

"Thank you Roza. I know that it must be hard for you but thank you for making the slide show. While you were gone I searched for some childhood pictures. They are on the table in the living room. I am truly thankful Roza. Dimitri too would appreciate what you are doing for him. Now go and make the calls. We can talk later." she turned around again and didn't say anything else. When I got to the living room Chris was already on the phone busy talking in Russian. So much for understanding just enough for the right pronunciation. I mean I know that he is speaking Russian fluently, but he at least could have been honest with Olena. And I know perfectly well that the situation was so not appropriate but he sounded fucking sexy talking in Russian. He really should do that at home, in bed. If you get what I mean. He looked up at me when I came over to him and sat down opposite him, smiling sadly. _»This is the first one I'm calling and it's already killing me.« _he admitted grimly through the bond. _»She was his aunt. I just told her one of her nephews is gone.« _And so it went for two or three more hours. It was terrible, heart-breaking and sad to no end. When we were done inviting them we went back into the kitchen and sat down at the counter. We looked as tired like we hadn't slept for a month and at least I felt like it too. When Olena turned around to us she gave us some of that awesome black bread Dimitri had loved so much.

"You need to eat from time to time you two." She chided us at least a bit back to her old self.

"We know, but at least we're done with the invitations. And I hope I won't have to do that again in a very very long time. Cause that broke my heart. Telling all these people that Dimitri is dead. Or worse. I don't know how I could be able to get through with the funeral. Seeing all these broken people... I don't know. That will be really hard." Olena just nodded in response sighing about what I had just said.

"So how many guests will we have tomorrow?"

"Uh... don't know." I answered truthfully but gave her my list and Chris black book to check for the number herself. "We made red points behind the names of those who can't come and yellow behind those we haven't reached." She again nodded, now a little absentminded, already counting the attendants. After some moments she spoke again.

"Okay, you haven't reached ten, no twelve and spoke onto their mailbox or answering machines. Fifteen said they can't come, so... we have... one hundred and sixty seven guests. That's a lot, I didn't know that this many were on the list. I guess I better get to preparing the meals. You two go and make the slide show, I told Roza where to find the baby pictures and such. When you're done it probably will be time for dinner but since I haven't seen anyone all day I don't think we will eat. We will make the preparations for the bonfire after breakfast tomorrow."

We finished our milk before going back to the living room, where I propped up my laptop on the little table in front of the bigger couch and started the movie maker. While the program configured the settings I started looking over Dimka's childhood pictures. Dimitri as a baby, only a few day old up to some months; Dimitri on his sister's arms; Dimitri playing with little cowboy figures and Dimitri doing some 'training' with a fake stake in the backyard. What followed were pictures of Dimitri on his first day at school, at professional trainings, holding his baby sister, holding little Paul, his graduation and very few pictures from his time as Ivan's guardian. And then nothing. It just stopped, like Dimitri hadn't lived after Ivan got killed. I knew him and understood him. He lost his charge and left his home, he came to a place where he had to lead the search party for two stupid teenage girls. He only ever made his job after Ivan was gone, I would probably do the same would I lose Chris. When I turned to the notebook screen I heard a shuffling sound and looked up to meet Tasha's sad eyes.

"I heard you two talking about the slide show you are making for his... you know. I looked around and found these" she pretty much whispered probably trying not to break down again while talking about the funeral of the man she had loved since school.

"Thank you" I whispered just like her. "You can help us if you want, Tasha."

She shook her head before voicing her thoughts. "I don't think that would be such a good idea. I won't be a great help to you." Now I was the one to shake my head from side to side.

"Really? You've already helped us with the pictures. You won't have to say anything if you don't feel like it, but please sit with us. I really think you can use the company."

_»You want to talk to her right?« _Chris asked silently to which I just nodded not wanting to confuse Tasha with the true meaning of our bond right now. Chris got up from his place, hugged Tasha lovingly and in a comforting way and left the living room. Tasha only stood there for a moment, almost looking like a deer caught in headlights until she shook her head again. I got up, just like Chris had before and hugged her tightly. "Please stay and do this with me, Tasha." I whispered right by her ear before leading her to the couch and softly pulling her down with me. Not really knowing where to start we first only sat there. I gripped her right hand tightly with my left and took the notebook with my right to place it on my legs which were now propped up on the little table.

"I'd say we first look which pictures we will use, make the right notes in the movie maker thingy and scan them later, alright?"

Tasha nodded approvingly and leaned forward to take Olena's pictures from the table. She didn't talk but somehow I knew that she not only wanted to do this, but that she needed to do it for herself. The decisions itself weren't that hard to make. We took all of Olena's pictures of Dimitri's childhood up to the one from Dimitri in his first day of school. Tasha warmed up a bit when we got to her pictures. Hers showed Dimitri when he was a bit older, surrounded by his friends or by girls, when he was training or simply in the common room when he was more engrossed in reading than in eating. Sometimes she would comment on a picture and other times she won't even look at them. These were mostly the pictures when she was at Dimitri's side. After an hour of looking through the pictures I felt Tasha getting tired when she lay her head on my shoulder. She had one hand on her belly and the other one was still holding onto me like I would vanish if she'd loosen her grip. "It's alright Tasha. You two need some sleep. And when you wake up we can go on. Just close your eyes." "How did you know about the little one?" she asked in a sleepy whisper. "Dimitri told me." She stiffened a bit at my words but didn't say anything. Soon she was asleep and I was looking at the pictures on my own. Shortly after Tasha had fallen asleep I felt my hand tickling, just like when a leg falls asleep you know? But this tickling felt sort of different, just like Chris' magic felt when he healed someone. Not paying it that much attention I kept looking through the pictures gladly accepting it when Chris brought me some Cookies, American style with choco-chips and the extra mmh-factor. Chris gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving again. Was it some sort of leave-Rose-alone-in-her-misery-day or what? But it was forgiven when Chris returned with one of those portable scanners and put it on the couch next to me.

"I thought you may need this soon, especially since Tasha is one of the persons who can sleep for hours without waking up for only a few seconds. So you will be stuck right there for pretty much all night seeing the grip she has on you." He had one of those damn cocky grins on his lips when he told me that, but I knew how to get it off of that face.

"I know darling, but at least my conscience gives me standing ovations for taking care of your aunt. Now get me something to drink please."

I looked at him, Hathaway smirk on my lips. And he actually clapped his hands.

"Well played Miss Hathaway. Well played. I'll go and get you a glass of whatever is in the fridge. Be right back."

When he kissed me the increasing tingling in my hand made me jerk back from him, which was a really awkward movement with me trying not to wake Tasha. He looked at me surprised but didn't say anything, just got me something to drink. And he kept to his word. Tasha slept like a stone, nothing woke her or made her even jerk a bit. She leaned against me like a statue on it's socket.

I leaned back for a moment, not wanting to sleep but to relax just for a minute. And you might have guessed it – I dozed off actually dreaming something. Not just anything but one of the last moments I have talked to Dimitri. He looked at me and told me why he couldn't tell Tasha about his feelings right then. Because of the baby that he already loved as much as it's mother. All of a sudden I jerked awake, as did Tasha and sat there a tear rolling down my cheek like they had done so very often in the last twenty-four hours. Tasha sat there next to me, still gripping my hand, knuckles now turning white from the force behind it and cried about something, I didn't really know the reason but let her cry.

Seriously concerned about what was going on I pulled her into my arms and tried to comfort her. It was like that one night when Lissa and I were found by Dimitri. She was sobbing into my neck and mumbling some stuff that made no sense, probably cause she wasn't talking very clearly, more like sob-talking. When she lightly pulled away from me a moment later she cleared her throat and wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

"Thank you Rose. I don't know what you did and I don't even want to know but thank you."

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything. I looked through the pictures and just fell asleep for a few seconds."

"And what did you dream of? You did not wake up so suddenly without any reason."

"I did just dream about something Dimitri told me before... you know... when we talked that evening."

"He told you that he loves me, that he was too afraid to tell me right now because of the baby. And the two of you talked about his feelings for me so often, and he never told me. But you just showed me and you have no idea what that knowledge means to me. I can tell this baby that his daddy really loved us. I can never thank you enough for that." Tasha hugged me fiercely, kissed me on the cheek and left me alone, sitting on that couch shocked to my core. How could she have known what Dimitri and I had talked about?

"Hey what have you two talked about?" Chris asked me giving a glass of water to me.

"Trust me, I have no idea," I answered taking a sip from my water.

**review please... more than two... otherwise next chappy will need some more time before publishing...**

**not mine... well this story... but the characters and their world... not mine :)**


	28. Chapter 27

**yes...three months again... i'm sorry, but i'm working on a computer every day... so... weekend on a computer is hard to realize... **  
**and i have new hobbies... crocheting and knitting... and i started painting again (a huge jungle painting for my son)...**  
**but here's the new one... hope you like it... **

**a huge thanks goes to the FOUR people who reviewed the last one:**  
**beverlie4055**  
**unnz4**  
**loventherussian17**  
**sroamanda**  
**SERIOUSLY... THANK YOU GUYS**

~chapter 27~

RPOV

The next day everything but not everyone was ready for the funeral. The backyard was prepared for the bonfire on one side, on the other side close to the porch tables were aligned and stuffed with the meals Olena had cooked all day The screen was ready for the slide-show, I would only have to push the button to start it. We were all dressed in black, sitting on the porch or in the living room, the kitchen; spread throughout the entire house and waited for the guests to arrive. All of us were out of tears by now, except for one – Viktoria. A silence had fallen over the house, all that could be heard was Vika's sobbing from her room. From time to time it would stop, we would assume she had fallen asleep, but then it would start again. And there was nothing we could do, cause she had banned us from her room and made sure we wouldn't come in by locking the door. She didn't eat, she didn't drink and she didn't shower.

Two hours were left before the first guests would arrive and that was when I had enough. If no one would do something, anything, about Viktoria, I sure as hell would. I got up from my place at the kitchen table so suddenly that I shocked everybody with the sound of my chair falling to the floor. They all looked at me like they knew what would happen, but none of them tried to stop me. I just hoped they knew that it would be for the better if Vika would attend the funeral, even if it was going to be hard for her. When I got to her room I tried the soft approach – knocking lightly and quietly telling her who it was. Her response was mumbled into her pillow, but I knew that she wanted me to go away – like the last thirty to forty times we tried talking to her.

"I am not going to walk away Viktoria. That's not only a promise but very much of a threat. Now you are going to open this door Missy or I will break it down. You hear me?"

"Go away Rose! I'm not going to talk to you!"

"Big mistake Viktoria. Let me tell you why. A) you talked to me just there. B) I now have to break down this beautiful door. C) Now I will make sure that you take a shower and go down there and do this together with us. I know this will be hard, especially for you. But your family needs you today. You don't want to miss your last chance of saying goodbye to your big brother do you? Please let me in and help you get ready Vika. I know what you are going through, I just want to help you get through this."

I stood there for a moment, forehead leaning against the door waiting for Viktoria to let me in when she spoke up again.

"You know nothing Rose. You think you know what it is like to lose someone, but he wasn't your brother. He was our brother. You're not a part of this family and now leave me the hell alone." What I thought wasn't left in me came to the surface, a hot tear that rolled down my cheek.

"Alright. If you think so. Stay up here, leave your family alone, leave everybody and yourself alone in their grief. Be a coward. I'll go down there and take my last chance to say goodbye to a man who taught me so much. You just stay up here and act like a little child. And just so you know, I really liked you, loved even, cause you let me feel what it is like to have a sister, but you don't want me as family, so I'll go. You won't have to see me again. And that's a promise." I didn't even wait for an answer. I just turned away from her door and walked away from it, down the stairs to my boyfriend. _»You okay honey?«_ I silently shook my head at him fearing the broken sound of my voice which was sure to come, would I even try to speak. None of the Belikov's said anything, only Olena looked up at me, her eyes full of regret.

"I'm going to wait outside." Chris and Tasha tried to hold me back, but I shook off their hands and left the house as fast as I could. For the next two hours I sat on the swing, left alone and feeling more lonely than in a very long time. And waiting for the guests for my best friends' funeral didn't really help. Even my friends from home didn't answer my messages, I could only hope that nothing had happened to them. Something like that would be the worst news I could get right now. Some time into my inner rambling the first guests appeared and went around the house to the backyard. I started the slide-show so it could play all evening and left the garden again to sit on the front porch not ready to see the show again.

"Why are you sitting here all alone Rosemarie?"When I looked up there was the Guardian from St. Basil, the one who Dimitri had told to bring me to the infirmary. He sat down on the steps next to me and waited for my answer.

"What does it matter to you? You don't even know me. You may know my history and my reputation, but not me." I may have sounded bitter but it didn't matter to me at that moment.

"You're right. I don't know you, but I would like to get to know you. I heard many things about you and I saw you fighting, now I want to see the real Rosemarie."

"Who the heck are you?" I asked him tiredly. "I really am not in the mood for stupid games."

"OK I'm sorry. I'm Pavel Romanov. You might know my brother Yuri. He told me many things about you and I promised him I'd keep him up to date if I'd ever meet you. He wasn't really surprised when I told him about your amazing fight at the school." Now that were some news. And certainly not expected.

"You are Yuri's brother? Well... there's kind of a resemblance... Why haven't you told me earlier? Or why hasn't Yuri told me about that?" He chuckled lightly, probably thinking it was a stupid question.

"Well last time I've seen you, wasn't really the right moment to have a little chat don't you think? So you wanna tell me now why you are out here all by yourself?"

I sighed heavily, not really wanting to talk about my feelings like I was in a counseling session,but when I thought of the talks with Yuri – when I was younger and before I left school – I swallowed the lump in my throat and told him what was wrong.

"Two days ago my best friend was taken. I lost my best friend and the closest person I had to a family, my brother, that day. Today his baby sister, who I thought of as one of my best friends too, screamed at me that I am not a part of her family. I told her that she would never have to see me again. I wanted to be strong for them. I called my friends, told them that Dimitri was gone. The same call over maybe fifty times. I made a slide-show of him. Yesterday I went through my pictures of him and through Tasha's and Olena's, only to find some pictures of him we all should remember. I played the strong one all the time. No one, except Olena and Chris maybe, is really interested in how I feel. I was the one who was not able to protect him, they just knocked me out cause I hadn't kept an eye on my surroundings. None of them is interested in my sleepless nights, in all the tears I've shed over the last two days. I have to go after Dimitri, I have to find him and save him in case they turned him. And they most certainly did, cause he is the best fighter I know. I really have to be strong if I want to keep my promise to him, but I can't be strong if I have no friends to help me up when I'm lying on the ground, like right now, when I need their help more than ever."

He looked at me like he knew something, that he didn't want me to know.  
"You have friends, you may not know their at your side, or you may not see them, but they are always there. You have to understand Viktoria, too. She lost her only brother, he was her hero. And now he is gone and like you said, he most likely is one of those she gets trained to kill, and she knows that as well as you do. She will get over her grief. It will take time but she will learn how to live with it and you two will be friends again."

"But how can I teach and train someone who hates me, who maybe even won't respect me anymore? I took the job at St. Basil's right after the big fight but how am I supposed to teach them, when I really want to go after those bastards?"

"I think you should talk to the headmaster. He isn't heartless you know. Tell him what's going on, that you can't take the job right now cause you gave Dimitri your word. He will understand, you could take the position as soon as you fulfilled your promise."

"You think?" I asked him doubtfully. My first job except being a Guardian and I already screwed up before having even started.

"Yes, completely sure. I know what it means to have given your word on something like this, I just had the luck that I didn't need to fulfill it in the mean-time."

"You have the same deal I have with Dimitri?"

"Don't sound so surprised. It's actually a pretty common thing amongst Guardians."

"Huh. Well, you're right. You're lucky you didn't need to live up to it. It makes your head one hell of a mess, can tell you that."

"Wouldn't expect anything less. I just wish I can be as strong as you are right now if ever, at any point in the future, something like this would happen to Yuri. Kill my own brother? It probably would kill me in the process. Anyway, if you need help you can call me and I'll be there."

He gave me a little card with his name and cell number on it.

"I'll sure do that. Thank you."

We sat there in silence for a few moments. Pavel was about to get up when someone called his name. And the voice of this someone sounded eerily familiar.

"Hey Pavel! I see you got to know Rose!"

When I looked up to where the voice had come from, I saw Yuri, Alberta, Stan and some other Guardians from school. They stood in a circle around the guys I hadn't thought to see so soon – my friends. They had big smiles on their faces but when they truly looked at me the smiles fell and they hurriedly came to my side and wanted to know what had happened to me. I told them what was going on and that it probably was one of the worst days to come and surprise me. By the end of the story Lissa and Eddie sat at both my sides and comforted me.

"So Belikov is really gone?" Stan stood there, looking like he had lost his favorite toy and Alberta and Yuri were staring at me like I ruined a big day.

"Yes he is, no I don't know what exactly has happened to him but I will find him and I will keep up to my word. I will free him and destroy whatever they did to him. And here I was thinking I could live a normal life for just a few months. Screw my life."

"Good to know you're still our Rose." Mia smiled at me gently, like she always did when she was not sure how I would react. I smiled ruefully in return and lightly shook my head.

"I don't think so Mia. I'm not your Rose anymore. Since you have seen me the last time I was at another dance, that ended in a fight which made me end up in a coma for three days. I freaked out my best friend and surely every other Guardian who was there. And now only two days ago I lost said best friend cause these bastards sneaked up on us, knocked me out and took him. And now I have to fulfill the so not easy task of killing the man who let me feel like I was his little sister. He made me part of his family and now he is gone, and so is that feeling. I am repeating myself here. So... all in all no... I'm not your Rose anymore."  
They all looked at me with pity, waiting for me to go on. But I didn't. I just stood up, beckoned them to the backyard and attended Dimitri's funeral.

When the bonfire enlightened everything and everyone that night, some of his closest friends sat down in a circle around the fire, reached a bottle of Russian Vodka around and told stories about their lost friend. I was amongst them, drinking and talking, even laughing from time to time. I knew that I probably would have one hell of a hangover the next day, but the Vodka was too damn good and it took away some of the fear from what was to come. Last I remember: Chris dragged me home and somewhere in my head I registered our friends and Guardians following us.

**REVIEW FOR GOD'S SAKE... please... want at least 5 if it's possible...**

**disclaimer... VA belongs to Richelle Mead... only the plot of this story belongs to me and my fantasy... **


	29. Chapter 28

**so it's 7 am over here... i'm tired as hell, but i finally got the fifth review for the last chapter... **  
**so here's the new one :)**

**THANK YOU:**  
**unnz4**  
**Maravillosa Eres Tu**  
**Artemis Iverson**  
** Tabitha Marie Collins**  
**Lucy.J Ozera**

**thank you for the kind words... hope you go on reading :) and keep reviewing my stuff... **

~chapter 28~

RPOV

„For God's sake! You're so damn stubborn! I told you not to heal me. It was just a little hangover. I could have handled that!" I screamed, probably so loud the entire house could hear me but Chris got it coming to himself.

"Yeah, a little hangover" he started to defend himself (or at least he tried) "but do you have any idea how hard it is to deal with you when you have any sort of hangover? It's terrible and killing my nerves. You're all whiny and childish. You complain about EVERYTHING. The noises are too loud, your head hurts, the light is too bright, your body hurts with every movement. Newsflash – that's what drinking nearly a whole bottle of Vodka on your own does to your body!" By then Chris was screaming too, not caring if any of our guests could hear us argue. Not wanting to fight with him I pulled Chris down next to me, making him sit on the edge of our bed.  
"I'm sorry Chris. I know I'm insufferable when I have a hangover. I shouldn't have screamed at you about the healing. It's what you do and I should be thankful for that. So thank you for getting rid of the hangover."

I smiled sweetly at him, already knowing that he couldn't stay mad at me.

"You know, next time you have a hangover I won't heal it. I will just leave you alone then, take a walk around town. Everything not to hear you complain about your body."

"Deal. Sooo... tell me about last night, I haven't seen you that much throughout the funeral. And you certainly weren't sitting by the bonfire drinking the rest of my Vodka bottle." I meant to make a joke – and yeah, I'm fully aware it was a bad attempt and that I really should have kept my mouth shut.

"Yeah, I wasn't one of them. I may have drank two or three beers but nothing else. Actually I met someone." That little statement made me gulp heavily, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. Jealousy is an ugly thing.

"You met someone? What's her name?" Chris smirked at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Are you jealous Rose?"

"No I'm not, now tell me her name."

"Mark. A nice Dhampir, friend to the Belikov's and his wife Oksana. They live in Baia, half an hour with the car. They are married for many years now and here comes the thing – they are bonded."

My chin fell, letting me look like a complete idiot.

"You're kidding right? This is a joke. Oh god please tell me you're really just joking."

His smile got brighter when he shook his head.

"What do you think of me my love?" He asked in an overly theatrical voice. "Do I look like I would joke about this? No seriously. They are like you and me. He once died, she healed him and now they are a happily married couple."  
"Married? Like going to a church and taking the vows? But Dhampir and Moroi marrying? I always thought that was frowned upon."

"Things are different over here honey. We already know that. Over here Moroi want to defend themselves, they do it against the law if necessary and if Dhampir and Moroi want to get married? They can. Over here nobody stands in the way of what somebody wants. We just have to get used to it." Forgetting Chris superior hearing I accidentally mumbled my thoughts, so that he could hear what I said, with these stupid Moroi ears.

"I certainly could get used to that second point." Chris chuckled lightly about what I had said.

"You're not alone with that honey."  
I looked at him grudgingly, not knowing what I could say to that. He must have gotten the vibe that I wasn't feeling too comfortable with the topic right now.

"Don't shit yourself Rose. You would know when I propose. Certainly it won't be like this. And we just moved in together, so no. We have time for everything."

"Good cause I'm so not ready for such a huge step." We sat there in an awkward silence til I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"So... Mark and Oksana. What have you guys talked about?"

"This and that. Different things, but everything is in some way connected to spirit. They invited us over so we can talk about it together. Mark said you probably need to learn some very important things about yourself and your abilities. He sort of volunteered to be your teacher in this. This is an incredible chance Rose. We both can learn from them. We may finally understand what our bond is about."

"What did they say when we could visit them?"

"They said we should come over as soon as we are ready for it. I thought maybe, if you're okay with it, we could go after breakfast. The others should be waiting for us by now."  
"Really? But I don't want to get out of bed yet?"

"Really? The whining again? What is it that you want then?"

"I may be whiny, but what I want is nothing childish if you get it."

He looked at me, his lust for me bubbling up right into his eyes and leaned closer to me. I leaned towards him in turn, ready to kiss him and do so much more.

"Nope, not right now." He said all of a sudden, leaning away again with a very evil and very sardonic smile on his lips.

"Come on love. You can't stay in bed all day and our lovely friends are waiting for us in my kitchen. So before they touch and destroy anything, how about we go down there and eat with them. Their mostly your friends you know."

"You don't know how much I loathe you right now. No frickin idea." I growled while climbing out of bed.

"Oh believe me honey. I know it. Right now, I hate myself too. Come on we have all night for ourselves. Now our friends are unfortunately more important than our sex lives." He hesitated for a moment before he looked at me with such a sheepish look I nearly broke out in laughter.

"Would you have ever imagined me saying something like that?" We both shook our heads at that, chuckling lightly.

"Never would have guessed it. I don't know whether I should laugh about you or if I should be at your throat right now, because you put your kitchen and OUR friends before me. Though it's kind of cute." I mused, "I mean, a boy who doesn't want sex all the time." With that I got up from our bed and went over to our dresser, took out some clothes and went to our bathroom, fully aware of the naughty thoughts that flowed towards me through the bond. I nearly turned around and probably would have forced him into having sex, when he thought of our last time in a shower on purpose.

"That probably means I should just go downstairs am I right?"  
"Yup," I shortly called to him while stepping into the shower and turning the hot water on.

Two hours later we were on our way to that couple Chris had told me about. Mark and Oksana. The others with a bond. Dhampir and Moroi. Married. That was a bit of information to compense.  
When we knocked, a woman with strawberry blonde hair, looking a bit younger than Olena, opened it smiling brightly at us.

"Hello you two. You came earlier than I thought. Looks like you Christian need to help me with our lunch and you Rosemarie just go right through to the backyard. Mark is doing something with our flowers. Don't even ask. I think he said something about a wall and digging out. No idea. I'm not the handy type you know? Pardon me, I'm not very hospitable. Come in, I'll show you the way Rosemarie."

Chris and I looked at one another and followed Oksana inside. Chris went right into the kitchen when we saw it along the way to the backdoor and left me alone just like that.

"He didn't mean to leave you, he just didn't know what to say so he already went into my kitchen. Your bond established a very strong connection between the two of you. And don't ask yourself if you two love each other just because of the bond, you felt that way for one another for some time before you died in the battle. You can be sure of that. You're made for each other."

"How did you know that I'm thinking about this?"

Instead of answering she tipped her forehead and made me think about what she could do with Spirit. When I stepped out into the garden, there was a middle-aged bare-chested man working on building some sort of wall.

"Do you need help with that?" I asked him in a friendly voice.

He raised his head to look at me like and smiled when he saw who I was.

"Hello Rosemarie. Good to see you're well."

He lay down the brick he was holding and came over to give me his hand.

"Being well is very much to say but I'm coping. I will be well when I helped Dimitri. Til then I'm only coping."

"then you may have a very long time ahead of you. What if you never see him again? What if you never get the chance to free him from being Strigoi?"

He had crossed his arms over his chest and waited for my answer. All of a sudden I felt completely stupid for wanting to free Dimitri in any way possible. I hadn't thought it through. I didn't ´know where to start looking or if I ever found a trace of him, how I could get close enough to him. He would know that I would look for him, even as Strigoi. Just because he wasn't my mentor anymore it didn't mean he would be completely stupid. Feeling like I would break down at any moment I turned away my gaze and sat down on the steps behind me.

"I have no idea how I am supposed to do that. I can't find him on my own. I can't leave Christian behind just like that. I have to protect him. I can't bring him into such a danger. What am I supposed to do?

He stared down at me for some time before sitting down next to me and draping an arm around my shoulder, like we had known each other for many years.

"I can't tell you what to do and what not to do. You have to find your own way Rosemarie. I can only give you some advice along the way. If you want it that is."

"Well my mentor is gone, so I could probably use it. If you are okay with it I could use some help training every day. So maybe you could train with me. At least as long as I'm not teaching at St. Basil's."

"It would be an honor. I saw you fighting at Basil's. You are a very skilled young woman. I would really like to help with your training. And if I'm right you already taught Chris some stuff right? If it's okay with the two of you, he could join in sometimes."

I nodded in response, being really grateful that he so nicely accepted my question for training with me.

"And as I see it," he added after some moments of silence, "you probably need someone who helps you understand your bond better. You are shadow-kissed and probably do not understand the full extent of it. Both of you. Oksana and I are bonded for two decades now. We may be able to help you understand it better. And I bet you are not able to keep yourself out of his head as soon as you are overwhelmingly happy or terribly angry. You just slip into his head if you want to or not."  
Looking sheepishly at him I nodded slowly.

"Yeah you can't even imagine what I went through the first couple of weeks when we weren't even a couple. He was with my best friend and from time to time I just slipped into his head. That was wrong on so many levels."  
"I know what you mean, something like that happened when Oksana and I got together. So it is a deal. The two of us will help you two getting along with your bond. And now you help me. That wall doesn't build itself on it's own."

We got up and worked on the wall for some time until Oksana and Chris came out to us to tell us lunch was ready. The couple invited us to stay there and eat with them. Oksana herself said that she always cooks more than the two ate. So we had lunch with them. I don't know what it was called but it was something with potatoes and meat and it was yummy.

We talked about many things but mostly the thing with the bonds. It was nice to talk to someone who knew how we felt and it was funny to see them interacting like our friends probably saw Chris and I. From time to time they would be silent and without any reason Oksana would agree with Mark on something he only had said in his mind – mind-reading must be awesome in the right moments. After some hours – lunch was already forgotten – we bid our farewells and went home. And I actually had some hope to save Dimitri.

**rev please :):)**

**read that stuff above? yeah... that's my stuff... the persons and their characteristics and the world they live in are richelle meads... **


	30. Chapter29

**_since i'm home with nephritis and have some time to spend... _**  
**_here's the next one guys... hope it's a good one... personally i love the end... _**  
**_writing it made me cry... _**

**THANKS FOR MY LOVELY REVIEWERS**

_**unnz4**_ (you'll get a pm in the next couple of days... i have a terribly important question for you)  
_**LuPeters** _(glad you like my Mark)  
and  
_**AnnieIvashkov**_ (here's the update AND i hope the paragraphs are better now... i tried everything)

~chapter 29~

RPOV

We were halfway to our home when a big Moroi and two Dhampirs stepped into our way. They just stood there, not saying anything and staring at us like we were their prey and they would kill us if we'd do anything wrong. And the Moroi looked like some funny sort of mobster.

He was wearing a coat, a suit underneath and a yellow scarf. What made me think he looked like a mobster? Maybe it was the goatee or the golden earring he was wearing. Or maybe it simply was the 'I'll-kill-you'-look in his eyes. Decide for yourself.

Somewhere in my head a little gray cell was so brilliant to decide to play it nice with these guys.

"Excuse me. Could you please let us through?" I held the Moroi's gaze, not daring to look away. He probably wanted us to fear him. Then he didn't know Rosemarie Hathaway. I would die before showing anyone how scared I was. The Moroi smirked down at me, still not blinking.

"Are you in a hurry little girl?" he asked me like I was a little five years old girl. So he wanted to play it that way.

"I'm sorry? Who did you just call a little girl, old man?" Bigger smirk. Funny glint in his brown eyes. A hand driven through his black hair.

"You're brave, little girl. That can be a dangerous thing in a person. Especially in a woman."

My mouth opened... and closed again. Funny how you can think about so many insulting things but feel unable to speak them out loud.

Chris came to my side standing there a like he was the one protecting me and not the other way around."

"Excuse me, but who the hell are you? Have we done anything to you that makes you think that you can keep us from going home?"

The brown eyes were staring at us for a moment longer before a small smile crept onto his lips.

"I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself. But let's start with you. You" he said pointing a long forefinger at Chris "judging by your looks you are the young Lord Christian Ozera. And if I'm right and you are who I think you are, then this pretty girl must be the young but very talented Miss Rosemarie Hathaway. I have heard many things about the two of you. Am I right if I say that you are one of the very few bonded couples? Or is that another Rosemarie and another Christian?"

Argh... how I wish that I would get a penny every time I'm standing somewhere, looking at someone gaping like a fish. I probably would be rich by the end of the week.

"And who would you be to ask us something like that? I mean, man like you – probably mobster for life – you got to have a name."

Christian wasn't even blinking. Not even when the smile of the Moroi in front of us faded.

"You know, to call someone a mobster is not really nice. I am a businessman. As simple as that. I am Ibrahim Mazur, but you can call me Abe. And if you want to know how I know about you two... let's just say a little birdie told me. That's all you need to know. As to why I am standing in your way... I heard about the young Belikov from Pavel."

When I looked over to his Guardians for the first time I saw Pavel, the same one who was at St. Basil's and who was at Dimitri's funeral. The same Pavel who had told me about his brother Yuri over in America. He looked at me too, a little smile on his lips like telling me that he was sorry for his bosses approach.

"You could have told me that you're working for a mobster, Pavel." I called over to him in return he just waved at me and had an even bigger smile on his lips.

"You really should listen to him, Rose. He's just a businessman. Not a mobster. Even if he looks like one."

At that Abe threw him a dirty look and earned an awkward smile from Pavel in return. Pavel must have had a class in school, where they taught him how to smile in such an awkward way.

"So now we know your name and know your Guardians. You care to tell us now why you stopped us or can we go to our frickin home now?"

Chris asked in an overly annoyed voice. I'm usually not the one to be freaked out by weird man, but he had some familiar looks and I have seen his Guardian in action – he must be one badass Moroi to have such a skilled Guardian.

I wanted to tip on my boyfriend's shoulder and ask him to be quiet when Ibrahim 'Old Man' Mazur opened his mouth to say something.

"You have visited Mark and Oksana right? You probably know that the two of them are bounded too. You can learn many things from them. They can show you how to use your abilities in the right way, maybe you can develop some new skills with their help. Who knows? Maybe even an ability that can help you with your dead friend. Just ask them to teach you the healing. Probably this will help you more then you know."

Giving us no chance to answer him, he stepped out of our way and let us pass. He didn't say anything else, just let Pavel wave us by. When I was at Pavel's side he whispered to me.

"You don't need to fear him, Rose. You may not know it, but he is a friend. I'll come to see you in a few days if it is okay?"

I merely nodded at him before looking at Abe over my shoulder. I didn't have anything to say to him, but I asked myself where I had seen his features before. There must be a reason why he looked so familiar to me.

And who the hell was that 'little birdie' who has told him about Chris and me? There weren't that much people who knew about us. At least not many of them would be stupid enough to be in any kind of control with a mobster. On the other hand, Pavel was the mobster's Guardian, Pavel's brother was close to being a friend of mine back at St. Vlad's, Yuri had seen me becoming the girl and young woman I am now. Who could say with certainty that Yuri hasn't told his brother in Russia about the little brave girl who wouldn't shed a single tear when her mom left her at a school full of vampires? Who could say that he has not told his brother about the girl that died a few months ago and mysteriously walked off of the battle field with no wound only an hour later?

When we got close to home a group of seven or eight people came our way. As they got closer I could see Lissa and Mia, followed by Aaron, Eddie and some of the Guardians who had come to Russia, too.

"Where have you guys been? You wanted to be back half an hour ago! We thought that maybe something has happened so we decided to come your way. Look if everything is alright."

"Lissa you really need to stop seeing things happen, where everything is okay" I called back to her and before we got any closer to them I whispered to Chris.

"We shouldn't tell them about that freaking Abe guy. By the way. When our friends are on their way back home you will tell me exactly what the hell you know about that Mazur guy."

At his shocked face I added "Yes my love, I heard you thinking about him."

"Geez Chris, what got your panties in a bunch? You are even paler than usual."

Eddie and Aaron laughed at Chris' look. Myself I felt a bit of pity for him, probably just because through our bond I could feel his fear for my little vengeance if he wouldn't tell me about Ibrahim Mazur. He gave a shaky smile to our friends and told them everything was okay.

"Hey about if we go into town and watch a movie? Something like our final trip, cause if I am right you guys have to go back tomorrow and we haven't done anything together as friends, except for a funeral and a breakfast."

"Yeah, sounds nice" Mia chimed in. "Don't get me wrong, but going to a funeral is not what I think of as a nice friend-thing to do. It's no problem to go to a cinema right Alberta?"

Alberta looked at all of us before training her eyes on me nearly burning a hole into my face.

"I think we all can use a distraction today. Let's go before the movies begin."

She hesitantly smiled at me before turning away and talking to the other Guardians. She made a call to the few Guardians who stayed at our house and asked them to come to the cinema too. First they hesitated but when I called in Albertas direction, that they sometimes need to have some fun they agreed and fifteen minutes later a huge group of people made it's way to the town's cinema.

To our luck they had some movies that they presented in English with Russian subtitles. So we went to see 'Captain America' with that mighty hot Chris Evans guy (never tell my Chris about that of course) and actually had some fun. Eddie even started to compare Captain America's fighting skills with the training every novice goes through.

In the end we got to the conclusion that we had much better fighting skills but that the special effects in the movie were awe – wait for it – some.

After the cinema we went to a nice little steakhouse, it was nearly overfilled with our group of ten people. We all had something to drink and ate well done steaks (except for the Moroi, they had some very bloody steaks). We talked about what was happening back at America since Chris and I had come over here. As it turns out Lissa hadn't gone to Lee High University, instead she went back to St. Vlad's as a teacher, as had Aaron, Mia and Eddie. Hence why Alberta and Stan had come to Russia with them. Should have thought about that earlier. Well, in my defense my mind was somewhere else.

We got home somewhere around eleven that evening. The Guardians made their final round to check the perimeter, before going to bed. Alberta said something about not getting younger and that she needed very much sleep before they would take the plane in the morning. The rest of us went to our kitchen, everyone took a seat at the counter and we talked again.

Short time later Lissa and Mia took me aside, led me to the living room and looked at me. Not just any look, but the kind of look that says 'You are acting. Tell us how you really feel." How I hated these looks! Always have, always will.

"Stop looking at me like that. I'm okay. I'm not going to have a psycho attack. I'm not going to freak out."

Though I had screamed at them, they still had that freaking look on their faces. When Lissa spoke again it was in a very calm voice. The one she knew very well would make me do something I hate more than Strigoi – I started crying. Again. They let me cry with a now expectant look on their faces.

"What did you expect" I whispered after some minutes.  
"What the hell did you expect? That I am happy? That I am jumping around like a frickin clown? My best friend... no... my brother was taken by monsters. We were just sitting there in the backyard and talking, like we did from time to time. We would sit together somewhere and would talk. We summed up what happened at St. Basil's. We were joking around and talking about stuff that was completely unimportant. And about stuff that was so important to him. I nearly punched him, cause he did not want to tell Tasha that he loved her. He told me how hard it was for him to tell her. He was so nervous about it."

Remembering the last moments I have had with Dimitri I chuckled through my tears before going on.

"He was so nervous about the baby and I think I might have scared him close to death. We had fun. We were laughing and then... Suddenly he was gone. Only a moment, we didn't look out for ourselves for only one moment and now one of the most important people in my life is gone. He taught me nearly everything I know now. When we got back to St. Vlad's I was not even close to be a good novice, but then he started training me. I always said I hated his training, but it was the best that could ever have happened to me. Just because of him I have my title now. And he was so cool about my death and the bond of Chris and I. He kept training me after we moved over here and he was the one who made me realize that I could teach those kids. How am I supposed to do this without him? And how could I ever be able to kill my best friend? He still has Dimitri's features. I can't kill my brother! I am in a country where I don't understand anything, I don't speak Russian, I don't read it or write it. These people probably never heard of the world-language English! No one can help me fulfill this task. I mean who could ever possibly help me with that insanity! For all I know he is dead! Dead-dead or Strigoi-dead, but he is gone in each case!"

Though I had started screaming in the end – again – Lissa and Mia were still looking at me, like they were on some relaxing drugs. I turned my look away from them, feeling somewhat ashamed of my outburst. Only a moment later the cushion next to me sank down under Lissa's weight when she took me into her arms and stroked over my hair.

"It's alright sweetie. Let it out. But you know that you aren't alone right? You just have to ask for help and everybody you know would be at your side."

**review please... love your opinions :)**

**sorry, about the huge paragraphs in the end...**

**the persons: not mine**  
**the world they live in: not mine**  
**both above: richelle mead's**  
**characteristics and circumstances of that story (not to forget the idea for this): all mine **


	31. Chapter 30

**next one guys... took me only a week :)**

**thank you...**  
**sroamanda**  
**Maravillosa Eres Tu**  
**unnz4 (thank you for you know what again^^)**  
**AnnieIvashkov (really glad you like this so much :))**

~chapter 30~

RPOV

After a night overfilled with tears and sobbing from my side and taking care of me from Lissa's and Mia's side, Chris and I brought our friends and their Guardians to the airport.

"So Yuri..." I started innocently.

"Yes Rose..." he answered, copying my tone.

"Never knew you had a kick-ass brother over here."

Yuri squirmed in his seat, looking everywhere but me.

"Already forgot you've met Pavel."

"Obviously. Tell me about him. Seems like I will meet him more frequently in the near future."

His eyes widened at the statement, but he didn't say anything.

"Alright" he said after he cleared his throat. "I'll tell you about him. Pavel and I never have been the best brothers. Yes, we played together. Yes, we went to school together. Yes, we fought about girls, when we were teenagers. But all that were maybe fifteen percent of our time together. The other eighty-five percent were us fighting – and I mean literally. Our fights were loud and bloody and nurses at the local hospital even wanted to invent a member-ship card for us. After a while they stopped asking questions about our wounds.

It went like this until I moved to America. We started to develop some kind of a healthy relationship. We're on the phone every two weeks and if we don't get to call we write e-mails.

The best thing? After I moved to America our mom finally told us how proud she was of us. Don't get it wrong, she loved us unconditionally but she never told us that she was proud of us – until we became best friends. Surprisingly we still are close, even after he started to work for that Mazur guy."  
Before he could go on Alberta turned around and fixed him with a piercing look.

"That is enough Yuri. You should now get ready, we are close to the airport."  
She turned back around like nothing had happened.

"What was that about?" I asked Yuri.

"Doesn't matter Rose. It's not important."

"But Alberta just freaked out. She doesn't do that without any reason."

"I said it is not important Rosemarie!" he screamed at me.

"Jeez, chill Yuri. I'm sorry for whatever I have done. No reason to scream at me."

He didn't say anything else, just stared out the window.

Now I asked myself why the hell Chris had to be in the other car. I would have loved some bond-action about this right now.

Instead I turned to look at Lissa, only to earn a look like 'Don't look at me like that. I am not the one who screamed'.

I ignored the look and leaned closer to her.

"Do you know anything about a guy named Ibrahim Mazur?"

Liss looked around the car, just like Yuri had done earlier.

"Not much. Only that he is from Turkey and that he has quite a lot of influence. Uhm, my dad knew him, but mom and dad never talked about him in front of us. Really Rose, I don't know anything else and if it's such a big deal to Alberta and Yuri, then maybe you should stop asking questions."  
"Man, you're worse than them. But okay. I'll stop asking. For now."

I added under my breath and earned an exasperated glance from Lissa. I wanted to say something bold, something typical me, but when I opened my mouth again to speak, we were at the airport and had to get out of the cars.

We went inside and made our way to the private gate (pays off to be a super rich Moroi like Lissa).  
On our way Chris and I walked hand in hand like the other couples, only that Chris knew that I was on to something.

"Judging by your look honey, you want us to solve some weird mystery. What is it Rose?"

"I believe you don't want to know. But if you really need to know, I'll tell you later, otherwise Alberta probably would bite my head off."  
Chris gave me a curious look, shrugged and let it be.

Liss and Mia were crying like little kids and wouldn't stop hugging me. Like we would never meet again!

The guys stood around us and did not really know what to do. We hugged for what felt like an eternity, until the Guardians pulled us apart and made the others enter the plane. Eddie hugged me fiercely and told me to write him more frequently. I promised that I'd try, but secretly I knew I couldn't keep that promise. I would try, but in the end everything else would be more important.

Alberta and Yuri embraced me too, both asking me not to look into the Mazur thing. Guess they did not know me at all.

We watched til the plane was out of sight before making our way back home. We didn't say anything all the time. I think Chris knew what I was thinking about – well, it wasn't that hard to guess.

Chris looked at me when we got home, we still sat in our car, and asked me the only thing I was able to compensate at that moment.

"You think we should go and see Mark and Oksana now?"

"Since I can't go and see the Belikov's anymore... yeah, let's call Oksana and ask her if we can come by."

There was something like regret in his eyes, but he couldn't do anything about it anymore. I sighed and took out my cell.

After dialing I heard the dial tone and started counting the seconds until Oksana finally picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Oksana, this is Rose."

"Oh. Rose hello. What can I do for you?"

"Uhm, we have just brought our friends to the airport and Chris and I thought we could come over and start practicing with you. Or I could help Mark with the wall if he wants."

"It's okay Rosemarie. You can come over, we love having you two here. And you don't have to help Mark in the garden. He can do that on his own. What do you think, when will you be here?"

"Half an hour if it's okay?" I asked questioningly, not knowing if that was too short of a notice.

"Alright, thirty minutes. Tell Chris he can help me with lunch again. See you then Rosemarie."

I put away the cell again, turned to Chris and opened my mouth to speak when Chris was the one to speak.

"Yeah. I know, I know. I can help her with lunch again."

"Stop using your Moroi hearing whenever I am about to tell you something."

"Sorry, you know I can't stop it."

"Getting rid of this frickin ears would be one hell of a first step closer to it."

Chris looked at me, playing the wounded one, before laughing a little.

"That hurt my love. But I love you for that."

I smiled a bit and told him that I loved him, too.

"Let's go. Oksana is waiting for us. And you want to prepare lunch with her."

"Yes, I love cooking. Sue me." he said, starting the engine.

When we arrived at Oksana's, she already waited on the porch for us. She beckoned us inside, not saying anything until we were in her kitchen.  
"Mark is out in the garden, but he will be in here soon."

"I'm sorry for the short notice, but somehow you're the only ones I can go to right now. I can't and won't visit the Belikov's for a while. You probably already know why" I added tipping on my forehead.

"Yes I know about that, but sooner or later little Viktoria will regret what she told you, I'm sure of that."

I smiled at her ruefully.

"Right now I really doubt that, but it's nice to hear."

We sat in a silence for a moment, when Mark came into the kitchen and greeted us.

"So Rosemarie, are you here to help me with the garden or do you want to train a bit?"  
"I think training is a good idea under the given circumstances."

I gave Chris a peck on the lips and followed Mark into the cellar.

"Hope it's okay that I'm not exactly in my training clothes?"  
"Sure. Since you won't be in them when you fight Strigoi... wanna begin with something or should we just get to it?"

"No extraordinary wishes here. Just some fighting would be nice."  
"Alright. Hand on heart shows who the better fighter is okay?"

"Good. Let's begin."

And so we fought. It felt only like minutes, but we were fighting for one and a half hours when Christian and Oksana leaned against either side of the door-frame and watched us train.

When I finally put my hand to Mark's chest for the third time they clapped their hands and came closer to us.

"Lunch is ready. Probably the two of you need to recharge your batteries, am I right?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, Rosemarie here kicked my ass. As far as it goes, she shouldn't do that to an old man like me."

"Hey, you agreed on training with me, **after** knowing my reputation. So blame yourself instead of me."

I cheekily answered, poking my tongue out at Mark.

Walking into the kitchen I asked our two super chefs what they made for lunch. Chris scratched his head a little uncomfortably before answering."

"Would you be angry if I tell you that we only made spaghetti with tomato sauce?"  
I stopped walking and looked at him.

"Seriously? You made spaghetti? What the hell took you one and a half hours with fricking spaghetti?"

Sheepishly Chris smiled and answered in a small voice.

"We not only made spaghetti, we also made a fruit salad and an iceberg-lettuce. That can actually cost some time."

"Stop using excuses on me Mister. You need that long to prepare all that by yourself, but you were two people preparing lunch. How can that take frickin ninety minutes? Did you watch a movie while cooking or what?"

I still stood there, still not getting what had taken them so long. You know that feeling, like you are too stupid to get something? Well, that's what I felt like right then.

"Actually I did all the cooking and Oksana gave me a huge theoretical lesson on Spirit. So she was talking and I made lunch. Now stop with the critics and go eat."

I rolled my eyes – thinking I needed to pop into his head more often again -, stepped around him and sat down at the table in the kitchen.

"So I've already told Christian a bit about Spirit and what it can do. He can tell you about it later. What would you like to know Rosemarie?"

I thought for a moment before asking.

"There is this thing... Whenever I'm outside of the wards from the schools or from court I get these killer-headaches and see black shadows everywhere. Do you know what these are? Do you have any idea?"

Oksana nodded at Mark and he started talking as soon as he was done with taking some of the salad.

"I know what you mean Rose. I can see these shadows, too. It's cause you are shadow-kissed. Because you died and you came back to life, you are bounded to the Spirit world. The shadows you see are ghosts. Not like in the movies, these ghosts can't speak, they are just there. Some will try to tell you something through motions. Others will stay at the corner of your eye and won't do anything. And like you said, they give you a killer-headache. Having contact of any sorts with them will pull you more and more to them. Though they're not showing it they want to pull you onto their side. They literally want you dead. The wards protect you from their influence as long as you stay inside of them but as soon as you leave the wards they can and will get to you."

He took another fork of salad and watched my reaction.

I looked at Chris and didn't know if I should really speak my thoughts to Mark.

"I... uhm... actually have seen those ghosts three or four times. Since we're here I haven't seen any ghosts. Not one. Does that mean Baia has a ward or what? And the Strigoi taking Dimitri was a leap in the magic?"

Mark's eyes widened in shock when his eyes went back and forth between Oksana and me.

"Baia does not have a ward. Like you said. The Strigoi that took Dimitri. Some Moroi buildings have a ward, only of those who can't defend themselves. Do you have something on you, a ring or bracelet maybe, that is charmed by a Moroi?"

"No, why should I?"

"I have such a ring, Oksana charmed it for me."

He held up his left hand and pointed to the ring at his finger.

"It is like my own personal ward. It protects me from ghosts and heals me from the darkness regularly. Oksana should try to teach Christian what she's doing with it, then he can make one for you, too. Why you haven't seen any ghosts until now is a mystery to me, too. Maybe Christian is a stronger Spirit user than the usual one. If I'm right you've been together all the time since you got here. Maybe you two being together all the time heals you like the ring would with the right magic. So there you have something to look into when you need something to do. And because I get a headache when I talk about the shadows too much – what else do you want to know?

We ate in silence for some minutes, until I blurted out like a freak "What can you tell us about the healing?"

**REVIEW PLEASE :):) (my lovely honey-bunnies... yes i'm back to that :p)**  
**story mine... characters and stuff - richelle mead... **


	32. Chapter 31

**sorry for the delay guys...got some new and awesome tasks at work which kept me from updating... **  
**here it is now before i'm on holiday for the coming two weeks... i'll be on heligoland (?) don't know if that's actually the english writing of it...**

**thanks to... **

**unnz4**  
**Chelsea Castile**  
**Ashley Ayoub**

**love you guys for reviewing**

**now chop chop... read and review...**

~chapter 31~

RPOV

Mark and Oksana looked everywhere but me. I immediately recognized the signs of them conversing through the bond. Actually I just saw Mark staring at his wife and shaking his head from side to side.

Some minutes must have gone by when Oksana finally looked at me again. But before she could say anything, Mark spoke up, making me turn my head to look at him.

"Don't tell her Oksana. It's only a fairytale. It will give her false hope. Do you really want that?"

He looked at his wife expectantly.

"I don't want that, of course I don't."

At that point she took my hand and held it in hers, as if she was about to tell me about some tragic story from my life I just didn't know about yet.

"Mark is right Rosemarie. It's only a fairy tale . I don't want you to spent and lose time over this. Can you promise me that? Can you promise me, that you won't go after this? At least not on your own? I know your mind. You will risk nearly everything for a tale like that. Even if it turns out to be just that. A tale."

Oksana was actually frightening me with her little 'outburst'. Her grip on my hand had gotten tighter, I could feel her nails digging into the flesh of my hand. But I promised it anyway. Sort of.

"Whatever this is, whatever you're about to tell me, I promise I won't look into this. Not on my own. That's all I can promise you. If there is any chance to get Dimitri back we have to try it. I owe him that much."

Oksana nodded slowly and took a last look at Mark, who was again shaking his head but now had a small smile on his lips.

"She's right honey. Not only she owes it to Dimka. We owe him big time remember?"

Oksana nodded again, smiling a bit herself.

"Yes we do." And with another look at Chris and me she added "But that's a story for another time. Now back to the fairy tale."

She cleared her throat several times, obviously not comfortable with what she was about to tell us. Through the bond I could feel Chris get nervous himself. He was as sincere about that as I was. He thought we needed to try everything to get Dimitri back, no matter what the price would be.

And that was, when I realized whatever Oksana was about to tell us, I couldn't take Chris with me in this. Dimitri was most likely a Strigoi and Chris a Moroi. Dimitri will always be a better fighter than me so there's a big chance I would lose a fight with him and by doing I'd risk Chris' life.

Losing him after I'd already lost Dimitri? No option. But how could I convince Chris to stay out of this? Oksana looked me straight in the eyes, hers full of sympathy. Of course she knew my thoughts on that. And then she spoke in my mind.

"You still wanna hear this?" I gulped heavily but nodded.

"Alright then," she said to both of us. "Rosemarie, probably mark has told you about the other Spirit user we used to know. We haven't seen him in years and I'm sorry, but for all we know he could be dead by now. Let's just hope he isn't, But he always seemed a bit insane. He always claimed that he restored a Strigoi back to his normal life. He made a Strigoi a Moroi again. I don't know how, he never said, but he always assured it was possible."

"That can't be. We would know about something like this if it ever would have been done."

Chris was right. If anybody would ever have done that, it would have been written down, published and most of all, it would have surely been in our history books. I mean if you would have restored a Strigoi back to life, wouldn't you go bragging about it to whomever may want to hear it?

"You're right Rosemarie. Any other man probably would have done that. But Robert was one of a kind. He never talked about his abilities. I just knew because I was able to see his aura.

And when he told us about the healing, he had some kind of crazy episode. He had lost his bond-mate only a short time before that. No one took the darkness from him anymore. Shortly after we met him, he went back to America. I don't know where exactly but there he's at home."

I stared at Oksana open-mouthed. Realizing I might start to drool I closed it and looked from her to Mark.

"You are trying to tell me that some Spirit using Moroi was crazy enough to heal a Strigoi? Do you actually expect me to believe this? What is that Moroi's last name?"

"His name is Robert Doru. I doubt that name sounds familiar to either of you."

Mark was right. I never heard of someone with that name. Judging by what I got from the bond, Chris hadn't either.

"So he isn't one of the royal families. Has he ever told you anything his family?"  
Chris had asked the right question. But I really doubted it would help us with this. It probably was a relatively unknown, unimportant family.

"He was an illegitimate child of some Royal if I'm recalling it right`. Mark honey, do you remember that name. I heard it not so long ago, but I can't really remember."  
Mark looked a bit taken aback, but thought about it, too.

"I think his father's name was Trenton and the name of his brother was Victor."

I raised my hand to stop him from going on. I needed a second to think about that new information, I looked at Chris, the fear I felt probably written all over my face.

"I know a Victor too. And by some weird circumstance his father had the name Trenton. Do the two of you," I started looking back at Mark and Oksana, "by any chance remember the last name of either of them?"

"Dashkov" Oksana suddenly said."That's the name of Robert's brother – Victor Dashkov. But isn't he in prison for the attempted murder of the Dragomir princess?"

She looked from Chris to me and back, like expecting an answer herself.

"Well. Let's just say – yes he did and yes he is. And both Chris and I are two of the ten persons who brought him there. We are not exactly on good terms with Dashkov. Seems like we lost our chance of finding Robert Doru before even having it."

Oksana looked at me, something like pity in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Rosemarie, I truly am. Maybe Mark was right after all. Maybe I shouldn't have told you about this. I gave you hope, which means nothing now."

"Maybe it means nothing now. But it will. We will find a way. Somehow I know that this isn't a hopeless story after all."  
_»You have that glint in your eyes honey. You sure about this?«_

I nodded slowly.  
"I'm sure. There is a way, we just need to find it. But for now? That was enough information for one day. I think we should go home Chris."

Chris was startled about my sudden mood but followed me anyway.

"Sorry Oksana. You cooked great, like always. And it may sound rude but I need to work through the news. We'll come back in a few days, if it's okay with you?"

"Of course, you two can come over whenever you want. I know it's much and it really is no problem when you go now. Since it's going to be dark soon anyway, it's probably an excellent idea."

She smiled at me and I knew that it was sincere. After today I owed her big time. And by the glint in her eye I'd say she knew that very well.

Oksana and Mark walked with us to their door, hugged us and actually watched us walking down the street until we turned a corner. I could feel their eyes on my back. I felt like being part of a chick- flick movie, when the parents stare at the back of their grownup daughter and they can't believe their little girl finally has a decent boyfriend. I told Chris about that image and he actually agreed with me.

When Chris and I got home – luckily without meeting that Mazur guy again – we sat down in our living room. When the silence got way too awkward I put on a perky smile and turned to Chris.

"So what are we doing the rest of this very beautiful Russian day?"

Chris looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Which probably was the case.

"Seriously? You'll go all normal on me after what we learned today? Don't act like I'm one of the lss intelligent Moroi. I know you're thinking about that Doru-guy in your beautiful head."

He took my hand then, just like Oksana had done earlier.

"I'm with you. You know that right? You don't have to go through that on your own."

"I know honey. I know you would help me with that. But right now there is nothing to help with. I don't have any proof for that story. I don't have the slightest idea of how to get to Victor to ask him about his brother. And I certainly don't have the will to bring you into that kind of danger. I can't risk your life because of a myth. I already lost Dimka, I can't lose you."

He lifted a hand to my cheek and rested his forehead against mine.

"You know I am able to defend myself. You know I can fight, you know I can kill those things. I am not in danger with that thing. And sure as hell won't I let you walk into this without any backup."

I backed away a little bit to see all his wonderful features.

"I know my love. I know you are able to do all those things. But can we please stop talking about this? At least for today. You'll know when I'm ready to talk about this, but right now I want us to be a normal couple. Just this once okay? Let's watch a movie or eat something or whatever. I just want to be normal this once."

I felt tears building up in my eyes, but I wouldn't allow them to fall. He stared at me for a moment, totally shocked at my words. Finally, like any decent boyfriend would, he took me into his arms and tried to calm me down.

"Alright honey. We're a normal couple. We'll watch a movie, I'll make you something to keep some flesh on your bones and we'll have a very nice sleep tonight. Your wish is my command Miss Hathaway."

I lifted my head to look Chris right in the eyes, sort of back to my old self.

"My wish... your command? Then I want like twenty or thirty of your best pancakes. And no it does not matter that we just ate at Oksana's." I added when he was about to chastise me for just having eaten. "And after that I wanna watch my favorite movies with you."

Chris groaned at that, knowing very well, which was my favorite movie.

"Seriously Rose? Resident Evil? Again? You probably know these movies better than you know me. And that must mean something."

I smiled sheepishly.

"You said 'your wish is my command'. So I command you, since I can't compel you, to watch the Resident Evil movies with me. Though you hate them. But you love me, so you'll watch those frickin movies with me."

He stood up and walked away from me, hands raised and back to the wall, as if fearing an attack from my side.

"Alright. You get the movies, I'll go and make the pancakes. I assume you've been serious about that number right?"

"You should know me by now Chris."

"Yeah, why am I even asking?"  
So my awesome boyfriend got me my favorite pancakes and we sat on our couch, watching the RE movies.

Gotta love a man who watches your favorite movies, though he hates them more than he hates Adrian.

**REVIEW... Wanna read good stuff when i'm back in two weeks... **

**disclaimer... not mine... and you know it :)**


	33. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey guys!

i'm sorry for not publishing for months... a lot of things have happened in the past 12 months... I got pregnant again, my boyfriend moved away for a while, we got engaged, when he came back we moved in together, our precious little prince was born, our big prince comes to school this year (in two weeks actually...)... so all in all not a perfect excuse for not publishing... but I hope you'll understand it... there wasn't even time for myself let alone this story... I wrote a few words and I promise I will publish a new chapter this week... maybe even two... and I promise i'll try to publish regularly...

thanks!

dimka's froggie :):)


	34. Chapter 32

**here it is guys... **

**i'm sorry that i am not mentioning my reviewers today... **

**i have just some minutes til my little boy wants me back...**

**but i promise i'll mention you at the beginning of the next chapter! PROMISE!**

~chapter 32~

CPOV

When I woke in the morning I hurt everywhere. No wonder, seeing we apparently had fallen asleep on the damn couch. Rose was still sleeping at my side, seemingly not hurting at all. Guess as a Dhampir you are trained to sleep really everywhere.

I, careful not to wake Sleeping Beauty, slowly got up from the couch and made my way to our kitchen to prepare Rose some breakfast.

I was so into making her an omelet I didn't hear her approaching me. She put her arms around my waist and rested her head against my back.

"What got you up so early honey?" she asked around a huge yawn. I chuckled lightly at the cuteness of it.

"I couldn't sleep any longer. It's beyond me, how you've been so comfortable on this thing."

She made me turn around, ignoring that I was busy making her breakfast.

"Honey, you might be aware that I'm a fully trained guardian," she made a face like she still couldn't believe that fact, "and as a trained Guardian I am skilled enough to sleep nearly everywhere. I was even trained to sleep nearly comfortable on a floor on a blanket without a pillow. Sometimes I really think this is the most sadistic job in the world."

She looked me up and down, a smirk forming on her lips.

"I'm surprised you're still walking after a night on that couch."

"I'm not that breakable you know."

She smiled again.

"Oh. I know that my love. Remember I am one of the few persons training with you."

We stayed silent for a moment. I turned back to Rose's omelet while she sat down at the counter and was lost to her thoughts. When I placed the dish in front of her and served her the omelet she looked straight at me again.

"You think we could skip training with Mark and Oksana for a few days? Just if it's okay with you of course."

"Sure. We can skip. Since you've already told Oksana that we would come over in a few days that shouldn't be a problem. And we have a great basement to train on our own. We could go down after breakfast and train a little. I'm actually pretty worn out from all that Spirit-theory stuff. Training with you will be a relief against that."

"Yeah. Training sounds good to me."

She merely smiled before fully concentrating on the omelet. Most shocking, after some bites she kept poking around in it and wouldn't say anything. Time to worry.

"Honey you okay? You haven't eaten even half of that. Always thought you liked my cooking skills."

Still absentminded she answered in a small voice.

"Love it. I'm just not that hungry right now. Sorry for the trouble."

She put down the fork and stood up.

"I'll do a quick perimeter check and then I'll come down to the basement."

After a quick peck on the lips she was out the door before even my Moroi senses could register it. Whatever the hell that was about, I needed to figure it out before Rose would shut me out again. For now, distracting her by training with me got to be enough.

RPOV

I tried to block Christian's emotions out but was not that successful at all. Even my perimeter check was not close to be done like I am supposed to. It wasn't even necessary, since it was broad daylight.

Chris knew this was completely useless, but he let me be.

When he was preparing breakfast for me, all the events from yesterday came rushing back. I realized that everything Oksana had told me ended in one word – hopeless. There was no way I could come even close to Dashkov, not to mention how to find his brother.

Let's be honest. There is no possibility to find a cure for Dimitri. Not right now at least. And most important, not with Chris by my side. I might need a Spirit user to do it – if I get to know how – but there is seriously no frickin way I'll bring my charge into this. He may be my boyfriend but THEY COME FIRST. In this it does not matter who he is, it only matters what he is.

And even if there was any way to get to Victor and his brother, there is no promise I'll find Dimitri. He sure as hell knows that I'll come looking for him. Just because he is Strigoi, doesn't mean he lost his intelligence.

Supposing I could find a way to meet Victor and Robert, supposing I could find Dimitri afterwards... where the hell do I get the money to pay for this insanity?

Thinking about it, this needs a lot of planning beforehand and a lot of contacts to convince of that insanity and of lending me much money.

I went back into the house and got dressed in some shorts and a tank top that said "My boyfriends a Vampire!", which nearly sent Chris into a laughing fit when he saw it.

I ignored his laughing, instead I jumped into the fight without any warning.

We fought for over an hour without an incident at all – me staking him all the time before taking a break to catch our breaths.

"So... honey" he began slowly. "Your boyfriend is a vampire huh? Any chance at all I know that guy?"

He smirked at me, his typical Ozera grin. He certainly knew how to make me smile.

"Don't know. Maybe. He is tall, very well built and trained. He has wonderful blue eyes and these devilishly handsome features you can't even imagine."

His smirk fell when I gave him one of my man eater smiles.

"Huh. Sounds like I don't have any chance at all. Perhaps I should get going before he comes down here. And when he has a training as good as you're saying he has, I might get away with a few broken ribs."

"You might. Have I told you about his magical abilities? He could roast you faster than than my toaster does my bread."

He gulped over dramatically before standing up and taking my hand. After he mimicked the perfect gentleman and kissed the back of my hand he looked me in the eyes again.

"My lady, I have to go now, I am sorry for the sudden depart but I..." he breathed out heavily "I actually love my life and prefer not risking it."

Chris let go of my hand and turned around to walk out of our basement.. For the drama of it I let him walk a few steps before holding him back. I stepped closer to him, as close as possible and innocently as I could pull it off.

"You know... I think he will be gone for a few more hours. Maybe... we could have a nice time til then. He won't mind."

"He won't mind? You sure of that?"

"Well. Look at you. I think with these features of yours... he can forgive me falling for that."

My worries from earlier almost forgotten, I softly kissed Chris and waited for his reaction – which came almost immediately.

While the kiss grew hotter by the second Chris started guiding me backwards until he pushed me up against the wall. He started trailing butterfly kisses down the side of my neck and lifted my legs so I could put them around his waist.

He managed to hold me up when pulling my shirt over my head, actually being careful doing so. The kisses wandered from my neck down to the rim of my sports bra, shortly broke away, only for the very short amount of time he needed to pull the bra over my head. He kissed me again before breaking away and only looking at me.

_»__You're probably the hottest and most beautiful guardian on that planet.__«_

I gave him a small smile.

"Honey, not so much talking, more taking action please."  
And boy did he. Massaging one breast and kissing the other one, he once more proofed that he knew how to push my buttons (no pun intended).

As quickly as I could I got rid of his shirt and the pants he was wearing, luckily without ripping them.

One of Chris' hands slid between my legs and started stroking me.

Soon his fingers were entering me, causing me to let out a loud moan of pleasure.

I was starting to pull down his shorts when...

… when the door bell chimed.

Chris let out an animal like growl before looking up at me.

_»We're not going to open this door.«_

He made me moan again by once again pushing a finger into me.

"But what if it is important?" I asked in s strained voice.

_»More important than this?«_ he asked keeping up his torture.

I was about to give in to his doing, but actually found the will to decide against it – as hard as it was.

"Come on, we can continue this" I said while sort of waving my hand between us "later. In our room, With a condom."

He looked at me, this time not saying anything through the bond.

"Alright. After whoever is up there is gone, we come back down here and continue this. If you get a condom down here."

He painstakingly slow pulled his finger out of me and let me down.

"I'll just take a breath for a moment honey. I'll be right up."

And through the bond I could feel that he actually thought about hating me right then. Thinking about it I hated myself in that moment.

When I got to the door I groaned like Christian had earlier in the basement. Through the window by our door I saw Pavel standing on our porch, waiting for someone to open the door.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down from what had just happened downstairs and literally ripped it open when Pavel ringed the bell again.

"Hey big guy. What are you doing here?"

He looked at me like he wasn't sure what to say.

"Did I interrupt your training? Looks like you really got into it."

I cleared my throat, really uncomfortable about the subject. "Yes. I sweat. Ever trained with a Moroi who tries to burn you in a fight?"

Pavel chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Yes, that's what I'd say if I were in your place. Whatever. You think I could come in for a sec?"

I quickly stepped aside and led him to our living room. Playing the good host I knew I could be from time to time, I fetched Pavel something to drink and some of those awesome little pretzels before sitting down across from him.

"Before you even ask. I'm here to tell you a few things. The smallest of information I can give you about Mister Mazur. This is meant only for you to hear. Chris stays in the basement right?"

"He actually wants to take a shower upstairs. But he won't hear whatever you are going to tell me. So what's up with that guy and how the hell did you end up as his Guardian? He isn't a Royal but has at least two Guardians to keep him safe. Why?"

"One thing at a time, Rose. First: Mister Mazur told you the truth. As unlikely as it may seem, he really is just a businessman. He may threaten people with death but he doesn't go through with it. Well, not always, but that's another thing and not important for this. I like to believe that he is so intimidating because of his origins. I always thought the Turkish people are the most frightening out there."

Imagine big bad guy Pavel shudder, cause he did just that – he shuddered at the thought of Turkish people.

"Where was I? Right. Mister Mazur is very special on his own. He loves blackmailing people, and let me tell you – he is good at that. His looks intimidate people so much, that he can get some benefits out of it.

As to why he is not a Royal but has various Guardians keeping him safe. He may not be one of the more important Moroi, but ask whoever you want to in our society, they know Ibrahim Mazur, if just the name, but they know what he is capable of."

When Pavel stopped to drink some water I could not resist the urge to say something.

"So after all you've said so far... Mazur is a mobster. Don't say anything against it – you won't convince me otherwise. Have I made myself clear Pavel?"

And there went the water. Right onto my carpet. Luckily it wasn't something sticky like coke or whatnot. When he looked at me his eyes were widened in surprise.

"You just sounded one hundred percent like my boss. That was spooky."

"Well. I'm pretty good with threatening people myself. Had some training back at school. And other places."

"You know. Mister Mazur has an eye out for you for a very long time now. He told me about you when I just started working for him. He, of course looked into my past before hiring me. He knew about Yuri and where he worked. From time to time I would have to tell him what my brother told me about you. He always thought of you as a little hero in your own way. So, some day I would tell my boss about you. I don't know any of his motives, but he sure is no threat to you. I can promise you that. Would he want you to do something for him he already would cling to your heels. That, too, is something I can absolutely promise you."

We both sat in silence for a little while. Tuning in to what Chris was doing right then I knew he still was in the shower and wouldn't hear anything coming from down here. I turned to Pavel, hoping this was not going to destroy everything I had over here.

"Pavel. I can consider you a friend, can't I?"

He nodded and waited for me to go on.

"I have a huge favor to ask from you."

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vampire Academy... but the plot is mine :):)**

**i just realized yesterday, that both my sons have the names of guys in two vampire books... my big boy appears in twilight and the little one *drumroll please*... in VAMPIRE ACADEMY... wanna guess their names? if you guess right i could think about a special appearance in one of the coming chapters... :):)**

**thx for reading my lovely honey-bunnies ;p (and I'm sorry for the long paragraphs... I wasn't able to shorten them...)**


	35. Chapter 33

**here is the next one guys :):)**

**thx to my lovely reviewers...**

**...Ashley Ayoub...**

**...unnz4 (for all 3 reviews :))...**

**...LuPeters...**

**...MidNightDreamer16...**

**...missdiggerz...**

**...Vampswols4L...**

**and the Guest and the guest who called himself Toolazytosignin :):)**

**glad you are reading my story and (still) liking it... **

**I'm still uber sorry for not updating for a year...**

** but my son had his first day at elementary school today **

**and my baby decided to have some hours of a nice sleep, **

**so i was able to give you the next chapter...**

**ALTHOUGH i really REALLY need some inspiration so i can fight my current writer's block...**

**maybe you can give me one or two ideas for a little thing i could publish as an one-shot or so...**

**now read my lovely honey-bunnies :):)**

~chapter 33~

RPOV

When Pavel was gone I went back down into our little gym. Since Chris wasn't there yet I threw a few at the punching bag. The sweat slowly started building up when I heard the basements door open and steps coming down the stairs.

"Who got you all angry Rosemarie?"

I stopped punching, turned and stepped away from the sandbag.

"Right now you. Christian. You know how much I hate it, when you call me by my full name. That sounds like you just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar."  
"I might have as well. You sure look like it. What's up?"

I took a good look at him, not really knowing what to say – til it came to me like a lightning bolt striking an old tree.

"Pavel came over. Told me about the old man. At least one person did."

I scrutinized him, already knowing how he'd react

"Right" he said hesitatingly. "That. Yeah, I should have told you, but as stupid as it may sound, it didn't seem to be the right time. I know that he is feared, that he is pretty much dangerous and that he really knows his business."

"You're right. It sounds stupid. But to be honest, I had forgotten it til earlier, too. Anyway, back to business. Wanna sparr a bit?"

"But I've showered only fifteen minutes age." he said whiningly.

"Yeah, that's your problem. Nobody told you to go and take a shower. After all we agreed on meeting down here again."

"Okay. Point for you. Half a point. You told Pavel that I wanted to take a shower. So I took a shower. Sue me. Now, let's train a bit."

So we trained. And really did only that. The kissing from earlier started afterwards – in our living room.

As it got hotter, I barely convinced Chris to go up to our bedroom and continue there.

I was ready for many things, sex in the kitchen, sex in the gym, but sex in the living room, where really everybody could see us going at it was not one of the things.

Chris pulled me up from the couch, grabbed me by the back of my legs as soon as I stood and scooped me up.

He must have memorized the exact way to our bedroom, cause in spite of our kissing he didn't bump into any furniture or a wall. Or he simply had kept his eyes open while kissing me. I like to believe in the first reason.

He opened the door to our bedroom, got us inside and pushed me up against the door after closing it with a 'thump'.

Our clothes went flying through the room until we were left in only our undies and resumed our kissing. We didn't talk like that morning in the gym, probably the reason why Chris' fingers found my center even faster.

I moaned into his mouth when I felt his fingers entering me, one after one. Feeling him smile against my lips I let my hand wander down his chest, over his hipbone and into his shorts. Stroking his length gently I was the one to make him moan in pleasure now.

Pushing my bra aside he went to kissing and massaging my breasts and every now and then he would swirl his tongue around one of my nipples.

When Chris felt the heat between my legs building up and I gripped him tighter, he took that as his cue to get me over to our bed. He sat me down on the edge of the bed and slowly parted my legs with his hands. Kneeling on the floor in front of me, he leaned closer to me, pulled my bra over my head and worked my breasts again for a brief moment.

As aroused as I was right then I slid one of my hands into my panties and started stroking myself Chris caught attention of it and watched me pleasuring myself. Still watching me he pulled my pants down and threw them aside too.

I leaned back on one of my elbows, so that Chris could get a better look at my entrance. Not long after I leaned back I felt Chris trailing small kisses along my inner thighs. He would get closer to my lips and move away again, repeating that torture on the other leg as well.

I pulled my hand away from my folds and instantly felt Chris' warm tongue stroking over me, every now and then dipping into me.

When I felt my orgasm building up and I stopped him, he got rid of his shorts, took the condom I gave him and was about to slip it on his erection, when I decided to do it myself.

I got up and made him lie down in the same spot I had just vacated. He crawled upwards a bit, giving me the opportunity to sit down on his lap and give him a good look at my boobs. My hand once more found his erection and stroked it a few times, before leaning down and closing my mouth around him. Moving my head up and down and swirling my tongue around his tip I drove him into ecstasy.

I opened myself to the bond feeling how he close he got to his high. Highly aroused I slipped the condom over his length and positioned myself over him. As slowly as I could I sat down on his erection, taking it all in, moaning at the feeling of him inside of me. I slid up and down on him, the slowness making him groan and closing his eyes. Leaning back a bit I increased the friction, causing us to moan in unison.

Chris let his hands caress my breasts, followed an invisible trail down my belly until one of his fingers could stimulate my clit.

By doing so, he sent me into a frenzy, letting me feel how much he loved to hear me moan through the bond.

This time I didn't hold back my orgasm, when it rippled through me. The feeling of pure joy and feeling like being torn apart at the same time, was the most wonderful thing one can ever experience.

Chris started slowly thrusting against me, holding me down by my hips and intensifying my climax. My moans made him go harder and faster, nearly making him come, too.

When my first climax was over, I leaned down to kiss him and make him slip out of me in the progress. Calming down a bit we only kissed for a moment, until Chris turned me onto my back and slid between my legs again.

His tip softly stroked over my lips several times, like his tongue had done before, before he slowly entered me. He was thrusting into me at a steady pace, gazing down at me with eyes full of love. I held his gaze and began rocking against him.

Chris leaned down and playfully sucked at my neck, grazing his fangs over my pulse point. Having enough of his teasing I wrapped my legs around his waist and made him sit up.

Taking actions again I moved on top of him, loving the friction, that position provided for the both of us. Chris was sucking on my nipples and gripping my butt, holding me as close as he possibly could.

It didn't take much time for me to come again and when I was done this time, I spoke for the first time since we'd came up here. I leaned as close to his ear as I could in that position and voiced his wish.

"Turn me around and take me" I said as seductively as I could pull it off right then.

His eyes lightened up at the thought and he started imagining what I had just asked from him. He gave me a lingering kiss, before I got up from him and turned around.

He made me position myself as close to the bedside as I could manage and stood behind me. I let my upper body lie down on the mattress, so my butt was raised a bit and gave him a good access.

I prepared myself for him entering me, knowing that I could trust him with this. He let his erection stroke over my clit, getting another loud moan out of me.

Chris slowly entered my folds, letting me feel a completely new sort of pleasure.

He was feeling just like me, though he additionally was a bit over the top at the tightness of my cunt. He actually had to restrain himself from going too fast, not wanting to reach his climax before I was close again.

I slowly lifted myself up on my elbows until I was holding myself up on my hands. Behind me Chris groaned at the new feeling and the intensity of it.

He reached around me to massage my clit and started thrusting into me, as hard and fast as he possibly could.

Shortly after he started massaging my clit, he began kneading my butt with his other hand, making me groan both in pain and pleasure, when his fingertips dug into my skin.

And then I had the most wonderful orgasm of the day, Chris coming at the same time, pulsating inside of me.

Chris slowly slipped out of me, got rid of the condom and lay down next to me.

I snuggled up against his side, resting my head on his chest and just looked up at him. He took one of his hands and led it to his mouth so he could kiss the back of it, but didn't let go after the kiss. Instead he placed our entwined hands next to my head on his chest and started tracing patterns where he had just kissed my hand.

"I love you Rosemarie Hathaway" he whispered to me, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"Love you too Chris" I whispered and watched him sleeping.

CPOV

I had a wonderful sleep that night, dreaming of the wonderful sex Rose and I had the night before. Not just that I dreamed of her – actually more than enough of a reason to like the dream – and our future together.

When I turned and opened my eyes I expected to see Rose, but her half of the bed was empty. I got up and pulled on my shorts and a shirt, only half registering that our clothes from the day before were still strewn over the floor. Why hasn't Rose picked these up already? She'd do that every time, saying something like she hates clothes on the floor. Hard to believe that, if you have known her dorm room.

I paused for a moment to listen if the shower was on, but nothing from there. I heard a movement from downstairs, probably Rose rummaging around in the kitchen on the search for food. I smiled to myself and walked down the stairs, only to see that it wasn't Rose who was walking around in our house. It was Pavel. And he looked like he had something to tell me which I wouldn't like. Not at all. I got a feeling that this would turn out pretty bad.

"Morning. Christian. This is for you." he said, holding up a letter with Rose's writing on it.

**disclaimer: STILL DON'T OWN IT -.-**

**hope you liked it :):) as for the thingy in my last update with my son's names... **

**unnz4 did a nice job of guessing my babies name and i will tell her soon... **

**but what about the name of my big son? come on i know some of you must have read twillight or at least watched the movies... **

**the name i'm looking for appears first in new moon and then in every movie... it is a short name... i know you know it :):)**


	36. Chapter 34

**sorry for the two weeks of waiting for an update... but it was ALEC'S 6th birthday last friday**

**and i'm momentarily doing physical therapy with baby MASON... so **

**every minute of my free time is used for mason's exercises so he finally gets his pretty little ass moving... **

**i'll try to update faster though :) the next chappy is already written, but i still have to get rid **

**of my writer's block... so watch out... i'll probably upload an one-shot before updating this story... **

**THANKS TO:**

**Vampswols4L**

**unnz4**

**Noonie**

**LOVE YOU GUYS**

~chapter 34~

CPOV

'My love, I'm sorry, truly sorry, to let you know like this. You may have guessed it already, seeing the big guy walking around our house, I am leaving. I'm coming back! Of course I will come back. I am only away from you for an hour now and already miss you endlessly. But I had to go. You know that I promised Dimitri to save him and I will do that. Only... I can not do that when you come with me. I can't risk your life on behalf of that task. And if I proof to be a much worse Guardian than anybody ever thought of me – I leave my charge behind in order to actively seek out a Strigoi. Tell me about that insanity.

You are probably close to be at Pavel's throat, trying to get my location out of him. But he will not tell you – I made sure of that. All you need to know for now is that: I love you. Big time! I promise you, I'll come back to you and will explain everything to you as soon as this madness is over. Right now I have to do this, but you'll be safe with Pavel at your side. Don't come after me, don't look for me. I'll let you somehow know that I'm alright. Rose'

I read the letter again and again, still not really getting the entire meaning of it. She can't be gone. She wouldn't do that without me. I was still standing there, Pavel standing in front of me, cautiously watching my reaction.

"She really did it to keep you safe. You know that right?"

Absentmindedly I nodded, though I didn't really think so. If she wanted to keep me safe, why is she gone. We share a bond. Looking at it with some logic – isn't she the best person to keep me safe?

RPOV

I was sitting in the back of a black SUV on my way to the middle of nowhere. I didn't actually know where we were driving to, just who we were driving to.

Looking out the window, concentrating on the scenery rushing by, when I accidentally let my walls down and felt like run over by Chris' feelings. Guess he got the letter.

_»Looking at it with some logic – isn't she the best person to keep me safe?«_

Yup. Definitely got the letter. I groaned, bringing up my walls again, making one of the guys next to me turn and look at me.

"You alright girl?" I couldn't recall his name, but he looked worried. I forced a smile onto my lips and nodded at him.

"Yeah, just a little headache. Stared out there for far too long."

"Probably. We're nearly there. Then you can rest."

I nodded once more and turned to look out the window again.

I would need to work on that. Can't risk being pulled into his head while fighting a Strigoi – or Dimitri. Nor could I risk feeling him through the bond or let him talk to me through it – I would just go back, leaving Dimitri behind, no matter what I promised him. And Chris probably knows that, all the more reason for him to try breaking through my walls.

Fifteen to twenty minutes later we pulled up to a two story house, a Moroi already waiting for us at the top of the stairs. And he was actually smiling, making that guy all the scarier. I gout out of the car and went up the stairs.

"Hey there, little girl. I see you've pulled through with your plan. Never expected you to be a Guardian to leave your charge behind."

"Neither did I, old man. But this has to be done without him. I may have left him behind, but I still keep him safe. Pavel isn't there without any reason."

"You know that I don't lend my Guardians to anyone right?"

I gave him a 'duh'-look, making him smile again, fangs and all.

"Kind of expected that when you said to me – I may quote - 'I don't lend my Guardians to anyone, little girl'. So yeah, got it."

"You're not only a good fighter, you can listen too."

"Better not always count on that. Usually I am not really good at listening. I can't even pretend to listen, my teachers would always know when I wasn't listening."

"That" he said with a finger pointed at me "told me the little birdie, too"

"You know, Yuri has no real resemblance with a bird. Just imagine little Tweety with a russian accent – no. Just no."

That actually made him laugh – a real honest and loud laugh. Whether from being annoyed by me or by amusement, I couldn't decipher. Pretty sudden he stopped laughing and once more looked at me, being scary and all.

"Yuri is not my only little birdie" he told me, leaning closer to my ear. "But you are clever little girl. You already know that."

Cue smiling and nodding. How on earth would I know that. Who else could be that little birdie who could be enough of a freak to even talk to him? Well, I knew one or two people freaky enough to do just that, but they wouldn't. Sure they wouldn't.

"You look cold little girl. Shall we go inside?"

Like a switch being turned on I felt the coldness of the wind get to me, goosebumps on my arms and my breath clouding in front of my face.

"Yeah. I'm a bit cold. Thanks for reminding me."

He smirked at me, reminding me of someone who I couldn't remember. Somewhere I had seen these features before. But where? I shook my head, not needing those thoughts right then.

I followed the Moroi inside, first ignoring the guy from the car walking next to me, until he spoke to me.

"Who would have thought? Zmey likes you." The smile vanished from his lips when I turned to look at him.

"What? What the hell is a zmey?"

"Sorry. Thought you knew, since you're here and don't seem to be afraid of him. Zmey is what he is called over here. It means serpant."

He was serious judging by the look on his face.

"So much for not being a mobster." I said under my breath, barely audible for even my own ears to hear.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing. Doesn't matter. Listen... what's your name again?" I asked him, coming to a halt in front of the door that Mazur guy had just walked through.

"Denis. You may know my brother Nikolai. You sure have met him when you stayed with the Belikovs, haven't you?"

"You're Kolya's brother? He never said he had a brother" I said, feeling somewhat ashamed of not recognizing his features.

"Yeah. We're not exactly on speaking terms since I've dropped out of school to hunt down Strigoi."

He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, uncomfortably clearing his throat.

"Whatever. Mister Mazur doesn't like to wait."

He shooed me into the room, closing the door behind me like he wanted to trap a stray dog. I stared at the door for a moment longer, probably hoping it would open again if I just wanted it strong enough.

"You can sit down, you know."

So I sat in front of his desk, feeling like I was in Kirova's office again.

"Pavel told me a bit of what you want, but not everything. Not even close. Tell me. What is it that you want from me?"

I looked at him, not sure about this anymore. All of a sudden I felt like a little girl, confessing to her father that she had majorly screwed up.

"You told us to ask Mark and Oksana about the healing the other day. So we did. Well, actually I did most of the talking that day, not Chris. They told us about the Moroi they had heard it from, turns out I actually know his brother. And I'm the reason that he will be in prison for the rest of his life. Now I need to find that man, Robert Doru is his name, and hopefully get the information how to restore a Strigoi back to life. His brother, Victor Dashkov is most likely the one only way to find Robert Doru."

"And you want me to..:" he answered, leaving the end of his sentence open for me to fill in.

"I need a possibility to get to America, money for the plane, find a place to hide and all that. You also could help me finding Dimitri. I doubt that he's left Russia. But Russia is a huge country and I need resources and I have a strong feeling you can organize these resources."

"And why on earth should I help you? What can you possibly give me in order to earn my help?"

At that I was a bit taken aback, not only because of the harshness behind his words, but because of his angry look, penetrating me like he knew all my secrets.

"As far as I'm concerned I should tell Denis to get you back to your charge and make sure that you stay there."

"I'd find my way out again. I'm good with sneaking out. Wasn't gone from school for two years with no reason, Zmey. I'd find a way to go after these bastards and find Dimitri. I only thought it would be better if you'd help me. You, who wants to make that little birdie of yours happy. If I'm right. And in order to keep dear birdie happy you need to know where I am, how I freaking get around, possibly even how many Strigoi I'll kill on my way. You actually have no other choice than helping me, Zmey."

I saw a spark of surprise in his brown eyes before he smiled at me again.

"You are quite a young woman. You know how to give orders and you sure know how to convince people of your will. If I wouldn't know better I'd say you are compelling people to do your will. You must have one hell of parents girl."

I stared at him. Where the hell did that come from? I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Yeah. Well. I wouldn't know since I've never got to know my father and my mother preferred to punch me in the face the last time we met. So yeah. One hell of a mother and one ass of a father. You may understand where the attitude comes from. Can we go back to business now?"

He looked at me for a long moment, thinking about his next words. For all I knew then he could have been thinking about which way would be the less dirty to get rid of me. Only me. Only I could be so reckless as to stand up to a man like him.

In the end he let out an exhausted breath but didn't take his eyes off of me. And I could have sworn that I saw a flash of hurt in those brown orbs.

"I'll help you. Got me with the birdie. At least one person who'd kill me if they'd ever learn that I wouldn't help you. I can't send you back to this Ozera boy for the time being can I?"

I shook my head at him, praying that my fear of what was to come wouldn't show on my face.

"Thought so. I'll need a bit of time to get all of that organized. I'd say two, maybe three weeks. If you can wait that long and don't wander off by yourself, I'd say you stay with Denis and his group. They hunt Strigoi as you probably already know, maybe you can find some clues as to where to find Belikov."

"Two, maybe three weeks? You serious? That's less time than I thought you would need to organize these things."

He got up from behind his desk, made me get up from my chair and took my hand.

"Two weeks from now on I'll get in contact with you. And then you won't be Rosemarie Hathaway any longer. You'll be a new person."

I turned to go when one last question came to my mind.

"If I'm staying close by... where the hell are we?"  
He looked at me, eyes filled with amusement at my question.

"We're in Novosibirsk."

**disclaimer... not mine... well the plot is... but you are smart my lovely honey-bunnies... you know what i mean :):)**


	37. Chapter 35

**next chapter guys :):)**

**thx unnz4 for yet another review (i seriously love you for always reviewing!)**

**as for my one-shot Our Lifechanging Decision... since i've already written the next two chapters for**

**My Friend My Mate My Lover... i decided to give it a try and go on with it... so in the next**

**couple of days i'll upload a new chapter to Our Lifechanging Decision :):)**

**now enjoy :):)**

~chapter 35~

RPOV

When I left Zmey's office a minute later, I stared at the floor, causing me to bump into Denis. I stumbled backwards and felt his hands gripping my shoulders to keep me from falling.

"Whoa there. Not so fast."

"Sorry Denis, didn't mean to run into anyone."

"No worries Rose. So, you're staying with me. Wanna go or have you something else to do first?"

Suspiciously I looked up at the guy in front of me.

"How do you know I'll be staying with you? Where you eavesdropping?"

He had a mischievous smile on his lips when he answered me.

"No, actually Zmey told me before we came to get you. He said he might have someone who'd need our help for a while and asked if I'd take someone in. I asked my roommates and here we are now. Shall we go then?" he asked me while playing a gentleman, giving me his arm and waiting for me to take it. I pretty much ignored his arm, walked past him and to the front door.

"You know Denis, my boyfriend knows how to play with fire. You may take that arm and keep it to yourself."

I smirked to myself when I saw his reflection in one of the windows by the door. Denis took a moment to just stay there and stare at my back while I opened the door.

"Are we going or will you keep staring at my ass?"

'Gotcha' I thought when I saw his eyes wandering up to my face, still staring at me.

I smirked at him once again, probably the only thing that would let him snap out of his trance, since it looked like he hadn't heard the last of my sentences.

"Yeah. Sorry. Going. Now." Denis shook his head from side to side, having an awkward smile on his face.

When we were in the black SUV again and I had just buckled up myself he looked at me again.

"Sorry about that. I'm not really used to girls with your attitude. You're one of a kind."

"I know. And thanks. I think. I can't really say if that was a compliment or an insult."

"You obviously worry too much." he said chuckling. "It was a real honest to God compliment. Like I would be that stupid – insulting someone who doesn't even fear Abe Mazur."

We drove in silence for a bit until I cleared my throat.

"How did you get to know Zmey?"

I watched his reaction from the side, probably waiting for him to squirm in his seat. But no such thing.

"You know that I'm freelance. Me and my roommates. Though we're really good, even we need a helping hand from time to time. Zmey gave us information on Strigoi hide outs, money if we needed it really badly. And he was the one to introduce us to an Alchemist. Since you only learn about them when you have graduated, we obviously needed a little help there, after we left the bodies right were we'd killed them. In return for his help we would help him every now and then. That's how I know Zmey."

"How many roommates do you have?"

"Three."

"All guys?"

"No. Two guys, one girl. What's that now? Twenty questions."

I smiled broadly at him, making it no secret what I wanted.

"Think about it. I am about to stay with four people that I don't know, after a mobster told me to. So yes. Twenty questions it is, mate."

He thought for a moment, but still smiled at me.

"Alright then. Ask your questions. I'll answer them as good as I can."

"What are their names?"

"Tamara, she is nineteen and she does this job for a few years. Two, maybe three. The guys are Artur and Lev. They are doing this for a few months now."

I sat there processing the information when it clicked.

"Hold on. Have you just said Artur and Lev?"

He looked at me sideways and lightly shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"You don't mean Artur and Lev, Kolya's friends, do you?"

Again a shrug of his shoulders.

"Their friends, yes. I know them because of Kolya, he introduced us."

"But you said he isn't talking to you since you left school. He's still talking to Artur and Lev. I've met them. We went shopping together. They had fun and everything."

"Will this go anywhere?"

"Yes. Of course it does. They dropped out of school, but he is still talking to them, even meets them when they visit Baia. Why isn't he talking to you? It's completely the same."  
"It's not" he said, suddenly pretty serious. "Neither Artur nor Lev are Kolya's big brothers. None of them was his role-model and disappointed him. Sure he was angry with them, too, when they dropped out of school, but he coped. I am his brother, I was his idol, he pretty much always wanted to be like me. I was good in combat classes, other stuff was easy for me too. Eventually I'd realize that I wouldn't want to work for someone who has a stick up his ass, so I dropped out, came here. I've seen Kolya only twice since then – two christmas-family-meeting things. And he didn't talk to me then, so I stopped trying. Happy?"

I sat in silence again, only looking at the Dhampir at my side. Talking about his relationship to his younger brother sure wasn't easy for him and I made him talk about it.

"I'm sorry Denis. I shouldn't have been so nosy."

He shook his head in response, staring straight ahead.

"No, it's okay. It's not like it's anyone's fault but mine. I haven't tried really hard. I sure could have done better."

"You should try again. Talk to him, I mean. I'm pretty sure Kolya would like to have some contact to you."  
"Than you are wrong."

Cue awkward silence.

"No, I'm not." I said, not feeling too sure of myself anymore. "He's your family. You're his family. That's more than enough reason to at least try it."

"Sounds like you are speaking from experience in that matter."

He eyed me suspiciously when I turned my gaze away from him and looked at the street before us.

"I'm a special case."

"Why are you a special case?"

"Because my mother let me be raised by my teachers since I was four and punched me in the face when I last saw her. And my father is some unknown Moroi living, or not living anymore, out there. So I'm a _very_ special case."

From the corner of my eye I saw him opening his mouth, but closing it again right away. For the rest of the drive – five or ten minutes – we stayed silent, probably way too awkward to think about anything else to talk about.

Imagine our relief when Denis parked the car in front of an apartment building and got out of the car as soon as he stopped the engine. I followed him on the heels, watching him when he opened the door. As soon as we stepped into his flat we were surrounded by his roomies. Artur and Lev were surprised to see me with Denis but were happy to see me again.

Turned out Tamara didn't speak a very good English. She said 'hi' and 'nice to meet you' before switching back to Russian. Denis took her aside to tell her what exactly was going on, whereas Artur and Lev turned to look at me expectantly.

"As nice as it is to see you again Rose, but what are you doing here?"

"Listen to Denis, he's telling Tamara." Both shook their heads.

"Nope, you tell us. Go on."

I rolled my eyes at them but gave in.

"Alright. To put it simple – I'm here to find Dimitri."

They both started laughing, making me stare at them in shock.

"What are you laughing about? What is so funny about looking for Dimitri?"

"You serious?" Lev asked, but both sobered up then.

"When you are looking for Dimitri, than why are you here? Shouldn't you still be in Baia and go visit the Belikov's?"

Then it dawned on me – they hadn't been there when Dimitri was taken. And they sure weren't at his funeral.

"My god, nobody's told you."

They looked at each other before looking at me again.

"What has nobody told us?"

"Dimitri has been taken last week."

Again the guys looked at me like I'd gone crazy.

"You're kidding. Say you're kidding."

My chin fell when I looked from one to the other.

"Seriously? You think I would make jokes about this? Think guys, think about it really hard and tell me if I'd joke about it."

Like good little boys they shook their heads, bowing them in what looked like shame. Just then Denis and Tamara returned from the kitchen.

Tamara came straight to me, sat down next to me and hugged me, whispering something to me in Russian. When she let go of me, Artur translated what she had just said.

"She says she is sorry for your loss. We told her about you and the Belikov's when we came back. So she knows that the two of you have been friends."

We all sat in silence, staring at nothing.

"You said you're looking for Dimitri. What makes you think that he is in Novosibirsk?"

I looked at Denis, thinking about his question and how to answer it.

"I don't know if he is here. I'm here because of Zmey. And since I'll stay with you for the next few weeks, I thought about hunting with you or well. Zmey told me to go with you. I am fully trained. I've been in two battles and killed Strigoi before I even graduated. I could be a good addition to your team."

The boys told Tamara about my offer and they discussed it, leaving me somewhat out of the loop. When they turned back to me they were smiling and had a funny glint in their eyes.

"You stay. You go hunting with us. You'll be a member of this group for as long as you need to be."

Denis looked at me, smiling all the time, just like the others did.

"Okay, but I have a few conditions to do this. First. You two" I said looking at Artur and Lev, "under no circumstances, not even under torture, are you allowed to tell someone, anyone, in Baia that I am here. Even better. As far as it concerns you – all of you – you haven't seen me. When we are on a hunt, in a club or whatever, my name is Marie."

All of them nodded eagerly, even Tamara after Denis translated what I had said.

"Second. For me to find Dimitri we may have to break a few rules. We may have to feed some Strigoi with the information, that I am looking for him. Which means we may have to let some of them go. This may sound crazy but it needs to be done. I honestly don't know any other way to ever find him."

They looked like they were about to protest, but thought better of it.

"Third. Whatever you may witness when we're on a hunt. Whatever I will do, whatever very creepy thing I may do – promise you won't freak out about it. You may think it's arrogant of me to say that – but I have something special going on and because of that it may happen that I'm acting weird. Got that?"

"Yeah, got the weird part. But what do you mean by weird?" Lev asked me, hitting a nerve.

"Sorry, can't really describe it and it's a long story meant for another time. But when this happens, if it happens, you will know it. Can you promise me, not to freak out when anything weird goes on with me?"

Slowly they began nodding, one by one – Tamara must have gotten at least the weird thing.

The guys still stared at me when Tamara took my hand and pulled me from the couch. I asked her where we were going and she pointed at a door down the little hall.

"My room. You need clothes. We go hunting tonight" she told me with a thick Russian accent. Looking up at her, taking in her build I realized she had curves like me, nearly the same proportions, so her clothes would probably fit me with no big trouble.

"Have you brought nothing?"

"No. All I have is this" I said, taking out my phone. "It was kind of a hasty departure."

She nodded opening the door to her room and walking over to her dresser. She rummaged through it, came up with some things, put them back again and finally found the perfect outfit. Black skinny jeans, combat boots and a white muscle shirt. My earlier impression proofed to be right – Tamara's stuff fitted like a second skin.

She got dressed in nearly the same outfit, though her clothes were blood red.

When we came out of her room and went back into the living room area we rendered the guys speechless. All three of them were staring at us like they'd never seen a woman in tight clothes before.

"You guys should shut your mouths or you'll catch flies."  
They looked up at me with dazed eyes. I went over to the door, put on my leather jacket and took the commando, since Tamara and I were the only people with a brain anymore.

"You better get going or I'll have all the action to myself."

In a flash the guys were at my side and followed my lead.

"Let's go hunt some Strigoi."

**review my lovely honey-bunnies :):)**

**usual disclaimer applies :):)**


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